


Long Road to Friendship

by The_Albinocorn



Category: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: F/F, Redemption, Reposted from FimFiction, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21992158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Albinocorn/pseuds/The_Albinocorn
Summary: After putting on the Element of Magic, Sunset Shimmer was shown just how much of a monster she really is. But that wasn't all the Elements did to her.Sunset has now been forced to serve penance by answering any question truthfully and by doing anything asked of her, whether she wants to or not.And she really doesn't want to.Until all of the hatred in her heart is gone, Sunset is at the whim of her peers, unbeknownst to them of course. Can her new "friends" help her down the road to redemption?If not, there's always that other Twilight Sparkle she keeps running into.
Relationships: Sunset Shimmer & Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1: Penance

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a re-upload from Fimfiction! Chapters will be released in small batches every few days or so!  
> Here is a link to the original story: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/144198/long-road-to-friendship

Sunset Shimmer fell.

She didn’t know how long she had been falling, nor did she care. She was too lost in her own thoughts to pay much attention to it.

Had she taken things too far? Kidnapping a dog… brainwashing the students of Canterlot High… attempted murder…

Part of her wanted to say yes; she had gone too far with that last one. She wasn’t a murderer.

She had also said she wasn’t a monster, but the demon she had been just moments before proved otherwise.

Did she feel any regret for her actions? Why should she? The crown should have been hers in the first place. She should have ruled Equestria. She should have been a princess, not perfect Twilight Sparkle! Besides, she, Sunset Shimmer, had lost, hadn’t she? Why should she feel any regret? The only thing she regretted was losing.

Sunset wanted to scream. It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair! She had taken the Element of Magic and wielded its tremendous power. Yes, she had turned into a demon, a part that still unnerved her when she thought about it and the pain she had endured during her transformation, but she had gained ultimate power!

And she had still managed to lose. Beaten by Twilight Sparkle and her miserable friends and shot down by the Elements of Harmony.

Now she was falling through a white limbo. It was bright and surprisingly warm, and around her, she could hear almost a heavenly hum, like the most talented singer in existence was warming up their voice. Hearing it strengthened the small piece of regret sitting deep in her heart.

Had she been wrong? Was there really some worth behind friendship—some unknown majesty she couldn’t see? Nonsense. Who needed friends when you could have power?

Sunset finally hit something solid but could see nothing beyond the radiant light. It was as if the light itself had solidified and became an invisible floor beneath her.

“Hello?” Sunset called. It echoed around her, and Sunset clenched her fists at how feeble it sounded. It faded away, and Sunset was left alone with the ominous humming. She had no idea where she was, but she was getting a horrible feeling that she could very well be dead.

 _Can the Elements do that? Can they kill someone?_ she thought.

As the humming grew louder, memories of cruel words spoken and actions taken began to drift through Sunset’s mind, making her heart heavy with unwanted of regret. Amidst the hum, she thought she could hear a faint beating noise, like a drum.

Realizing the drum beat was getting closer, Sunset spun around and nearly screamed at what she saw.

In front of her was a black and feeble heart; not the kind that beat in her chest and kept her alive, but the one so often used to symbolize love. It pulsed at such a slow rate, Sunset thought it might stop at any moment. Red cracks ran across the surface, looking like rivers of magma across an ash-covered field. It was one of the ugliest things Sunset had ever seen.

 _And it is yours_ , a voice, or rather several voices, said. They surrounded Sunset from every angle and sounded like a heavenly choir. She now knew the source of the humming.

“What do you mean, ‘it’s mine’?” Sunset asked warily.

 _Sunset Shimmer, we have seen your heart, and this is it. You’ve rejected friendship for so long and instead held_ _on to_ _hate. You’ve been cruel, arrogant, selfish,_ _and power hungry. This is what your heart has turned into._

Sunset took a step back from the blacked heart. “S-so?” She cleared her throat, trying to hang on to her false bravado. But standing in front of her ‘heart’, even that was fading. “I don’t need friendship; I’ve gotten by on my own.”

_Sunset Shimmer, your rejection of friendship and drive for power has nearly destroyed the balance of two worlds. Do you honestly feel nothing?_

“I…” Sunset crossed her arms and turned her nose up, ignoring the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “Why should I? I lost, didn’t I? What does it matter what I feel?” She uncrossed her arms and pointed into the air. “And who are you to judge me anyway?”

_In essence, we are the spirits of the Elements of Harmony. We have every right to judge you, Sunset Shimmer. You who abused the Element of Magic and threatened a coup of Equestria._

Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat. That’s where she was: some limbo where the Elements could put her on trial. She dug her nails into her palm to stop herself from shaking.

“All right, so maybe I stepped out of line a bit. What are you going to do with me?”

_Your heart is one of the bleakest we have ever seen, and you show little remorse for your actions. Even more so, you continue to reject friendship._

“Well, what do I need friends for anyway?” Sunset shouted. “They’ve never done anything for me! They don’t serve any purpose! The only thing they’re good for is when I need something from them!”

There was a drawn out moment of silence before the voices spoke again. _Very well, Sunset Shimmer._ _If that is how you feel, then our punishment stands as thus…”_

Sunset yelped and grabbed the sides of her head as every memory of her acts of cruelty came flooding in at once. Every time she had used someone, every time she had abused someone, all of her cruel deeds and betrayals came rushing in at once, bringing her to her knees. An image of the demon she had become flashed between each memory, burning itself into the back of her eyelids. She fell onto the unseen floor and began to sob, the pain she had caused so many crushing her black heart into dust.

In between the noise of the memories and her sobbing, Sunset could barely hear the spirits speaking. _You shall live with our penance until the last shard of hatred leaves your heart_ _and you learn to truly accept friendship with no thought of self-gain. Until you can learn to love others above yourself, you shall be at their whim and mercy, aiding them whenever they ask for it, and telling them only the truth._

The words sounded distant in Sunset’s ears, fading away, just like the light that had previously surrounded her. She found herself no longer in the realm of the Elements; instead, she was laying face first in the dirt, her clothes tattered, and her body covered in scratches and bruises.

Raising her head, she saw that she had ended up in a large crater. Twilight Sparkle stood over her on the edge, looking more disappointed than angry.

“You will _never_ rule in Equestria. Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart.”

Sunset began climbing out of the hole, her stomach rebelling at the sudden movement. Perhaps it was another after effect of being hit with the Elements of Harmony. She collapsed at Twilight’s feet, vision blurred by tears. She had never felt so horrible in her entire life. Being forced to relive her past actions had left Sunset with the one feeling she thought she would never experience.

Remorse.

“I-I'm sorry,” she cried. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way!”

“The magic of friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria. It's everywhere. You can seek it out.” Twilight sighed and turned away. “Or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.”

“But... But all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart. I don't know the first thing about friendship.”

Twilight knelt down and took Sunset’s hand, helping her out of the hole and to her feet. She pointed at the five girls standing off to the side. “I bet _they_ can teach you.”

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all gave her various degrees of smiles, with Pinkie’s being the largest.

_Really? They’d want to be my friends after everything I’ve done?_

She didn’t get a chance to ask Twilight. Everyone had moved along to watch Principal Celestia return the Element of Magic to Twilight before they all went back to the gym to finish their dance, leaving Sunset alone. Even Snips and Snails seemed to have vanished.

Skirting around the crater, Sunset made her way to the demolished entrance of the school building. Part of her was amazed that she had been able to do that. She hadn’t cast magic like that since she had been a pony.

She leaned against the crumbling stones and sighed. What was she supposed to do now? She looked up at the statue that secretly housed the portal to Equestria. She could run away. Escape back home and live out her life in exile there. No. If she went back, she would chance facing Celestia’s wrath. Sunset had completely disobeyed her by jumping through the mirror, not to mention stealing Twilight’s crown. There was nothing left for her there. But there wasn’t much left here either.

Behind her, she could hear the steady beats of the music Vinyl Scratch blasted out of her stereo system. She could hear the students laughing and talking and enjoying their Fall Formal.

 _I almost robbed them of that, just to further my own plans._ Sunset groaned and pressed her head against the concrete. Now she knew why she had never felt regret before. It was the worst feeling in the world!

From one of the hallways came footsteps and the sound of squeaking wheels. Sunset turned and saw Vice Principal Luna escorting Snips and Snails. They pushed a wheelbarrow filled with bricks, mortar and push brooms in front of them.

Luna stopped and handed Sunset a spade. “Well, Ms. Shimmer, it looks like you have a long night ahead of you.”

Sunset gaped at her. “You can’t seriously expect me to fix all of this.”

Luna just waved the spade in front of her. Sunset snatched it and growled. Her feelings of regret were slowly eroded away by feelings of annoyance and anger. She watched Luna walk back towards the gymnasium while Snips and Snails began to sweep the steps clean of rubble.

Trading the spade for the third push broom, Sunset began to sweep as well, deciding to do the easy work first. She had only been working for a few minutes when the sound of giggling reached her. Twilight Sparkle and her five friends filed out of the gym and headed for the statue. They stopped at the base to trade hugs and exchange one last goodbye.

 _This is my last chance._ Sunset looked up at the pale moon. _I could run in after her, or…_

When she looked back, Twilight and her dog Spike had already slipped through the granite surface of the statue, making their transition back to Equestria. Pinkie ran to try and catch up, but she was met with a solid surface instead. The portal was closed.

“Oh, bummer,” Pinkie pouted.

Sunset shared in some of Pinkie’s disappointment. Part of her had wanted to go home. Now, she was stuck here for at least another thirty moons.

“Well, I must say, _that_ was certainly an experience,” Sunset heard Rarity say.

“Yeah, Ah reckon somethin’ like that was once in a lifetime,” Applejack said.

“Do you think we’ll ever see her again?” Fluttershy asked.

Applejack put a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, sugarcube, Ah’m sure someday she’ll come back and visit.”

“If not, we could always go looking for the Twilight Sparkle from _this_ world!” Pinkie said, bouncing on her toes.

Rarity ran a hand through her purple royal curls. “Well… maybe that’s not such a good idea. We can’t go looking for her and expect her to be exactly the same. That would be like we’re trying to replace her.”

Pinkie stood still and said in a downcast voice, “Oh yeah, I guess you’re right. That would be kinda mean.”

“But hey, if we run into Twilight Sparkle, we can still try and be her friend,” Applejack reassured. “We should just let her come to us, though. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen on its own.”

There was a long pause before Rainbow Dash said, “So, what should we do about Sunset Shimmer?”

“Well,” Applejack said slowly, “we did promise to try and help her. And Ah don’t go back on my promises.”

Rarity nodded. “Neither do I, but, I can’t just pretend none of the things she did to us ever happened. I need time to settle my feelings, especially after tonight.”

“Rarity is right. I want to try and be her friend but… she still scares me,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Well, Ah guess it’s a good thing school’s canceled next week, seeing as they’ve got some construction to do. Gives us all a little time to settle down,” Applejack said.

“Ah yeah!” Rainbow cheered. “No school for a whole week! Who’s down to hang?”

“Ooh, ooh me!” Pinkie frantically waved her hand in front of Rainbow’s face. “We can hang out just like we used to; it’ll be so much fun!”

Sunset watched them walk away, their voices growing fainter as they disappeared into the dark. She leaned against her broom, mulling over her thoughts. Were they really going to try and make friends with her? Sunset wasn’t sure if they were admirable or just stupid.

She gripped her broom tighter. As her feelings of regret finally died away, her old feelings of contempt and superiority returned. Who said she wanted to be friends with them anyway? It was their fault she was in this situation! If they hadn’t interfered, she’d be in Equestria right now! And besides, they didn’t actually want to be her friend; they were just doing a favor for Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight Sparkle…

Sunset squeezed the broom so hard, her knuckles turned white. In the end, it all came down to her. Little miss perfect princess. Taking the crown that should have been Sunset’s in the first place and leaving her behind in this world to rot. Sunset hated her. With every fiber of her being, Sunset hated her.

“Hey, Sunset!” Snips’ voice dragged Sunset out of her thoughts. “Could you stop standing there and help us? This is gonna take all night.”

Sunset was about to deliver a sharp retort when she felt a jolt like lightning run down her spine. Almost as if acting on their own, her arms began to move the broom, resuming her sweep up of the rubble.

 _That was… weird._ Sunset shrugged it off and continued working. Snips was right; this would take all night.


	2. Step 2: Chance Meeting

Sunset Shimmer was grateful Vice Principal Luna had been half joking about the reconstruction of the school’s front wall and the large crater in the ground. While she, Snips and Snails were forced to work until well after the dance was over, Luna and Celestia had claimed that professional manpower would be needed to fix everything, and the three had been allowed to go.

Of course, Sunset now had to spend next week helping the construction workers repair the wall. Her punishment also included a month of detention and academic probation. That last one didn’t worry Sunset at all, as she only received A’s in all of her classes. Snips and Snails on the other hand… well, she hoped they knew a good tutor.

Sunset now trudged her way back to her home. Celestia had offered her a ride, but Sunset had refused, wanting to brood over her failure. And because she couldn’t let Celestia know where she really lived.

The night air was cool, the autumn wind caressing Sunset’s face as she moved against it. The drafts would occasionally pick up and make Sunset shiver in want of a pair of pants instead of her skirt.

Her legs were tired, as was the rest of her body as a result of getting blasted by pure magic. She was beginning to regret not taking the ride she had been offered. Since her own ride was at the shop, she had no method of transportation. She had only gotten to the dance thanks to Snails’ mom dropping them off.

Sunset sighed. Snips and Snails had given her the cold shoulder the entire night. She guessed turning them into demons only to have them changed back and punished alongside with her had crossed some sort of line. She had lost her two stooges.

“Oh well, I can find more.” Sunset frowned. No, she couldn’t, no one would have the right mind to do anything for her after tonight. She wouldn’t be able to get enough dirt on anyone in the school to compare to what she had done. Even if she could, what purpose would it serve? In two days, Twilight Sparkle had single-handedly stormed the school, united the students and shown them they all had one common enemy.

Sunset Shimmer.

She had been dethroned in less than a week, her dictatorship completely crushed and replaced by the ‘magic of friendship.’ Sunset’s nails bit into her palm. Whatever feelings the Elements of Harmony had forced her to feel were gone now, replaced by a cold resentment and the bitter sting of defeat. She almost had everything, now she had absolutely nothing.

Something wet snaked down her cheek and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. _This is no time for a pity party! I already broke down in front of the whole school—which I will never live down—so no more crying! It’s time to plan! There has to be some way for me to get back on top._

Sunset stopped and leaned against a light post. She felt cold and exhausted, and judging by the area she was in, she was only a little over halfway home.

“Who am I kidding? I can’t do anything here. The only thing I can do is wait for the portal to open and go back to Equestria. Maybe there I can try to find something that’ll help me get back at Twilight Sparkle.”

She thought the idea of getting revenge on her mortal enemy would cheer her up. Instead, it only left a bitter taste in her mouth and her stomach churning. She pushed herself off the pole and kept walking. “I need a bath and a long nap.” She examined her favorite leather jacket and groaned. It had been horribly scuffed up and torn in a few places. She made a mental note to buy a new one.

Sunset pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and checked the time, reading just after midnight. Putting it away, she took a closer look at her surroundings. She had left behind the nicer neighborhoods and slew of family owned businesses, and was nearing one of the seedier parts of Canterlot City. Old, dirty shops lined the streets, along with ridiculous amounts of trash and cigarette butts.

Taking a shortcut through an abandoned playground, Sunset heard a loud scream tear through the night. She stopped and stared into the darkness, the only light source coming from a dying lamppost across the street. A girl quickly ran into view, and time slowed to a crawl, while Sunset stared at her, mouth agape.

She was wearing a simple navy blue shirt and jeans with purple boots and a matching jacket. A familiar starburst was stitched into the corner, a starburst that made Sunset’s eye twitch with fury.

Twilight Sparkle ran down the street, fear written on her face as she screamed, “Help! Someone please, _help me!”_

Close behind her, two shady men chased after her, whistling and promising to do things that made Sunset’s skin crawl.

A jolt ran down her spine, and Sunset found herself chasing after the three of them. _What the… the hell am I doing?_ She tried to stop but found that she was almost in no control of her motor functions. She sprinted after the men, following them around the corner and into a wide alley, where they had Twilight cornered against the back wall.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, we promise to go easy on ya.” One of them snickered.

Sunset scooped up a rock and threw it at them, hitting one square in the head. “Hey, grease balls, why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

They spun around, both of them with greasy black hair and pale skin. Piercings lined their mouths and eyebrows. One of them was pretty thin, trying to hide it with his baggy jacket; the other man looked like he actually had some muscle.

“Hey, girlie, you trying to pick a fight with us?” the muscular one asked. “‘Cause it looks like you already lost one.” Both of them laughed.

“Hey, she’s kinda cute, though,” the skinny one observed. “How about one for each of us?”

Sunset settled into a fighting stance, putting her arms up in front of her. She still wasn’t sure why she was doing this. It was like an unknown force had taken control of her actions and forced her to come to Twilight’s aid. Still, if it meant she got to beat two losers up and vent some frustration, she was all for it.

“How about you both forget about her and come take me on?” Sunset said coolly.

“Seriously, kid, you wanna fight us?” the skinny one asked.

“That would imply you two being an even match for me. I’m just gonna beat you into the ground.”

“Alright, you asked for it!” The skinny one pulled out a switchblade and charged at Sunset, who sidestepped and ducked out of the way to avoid his wide swing. She then brought her fist upwards in a powerful uppercut, catching him in the jaw. Before he could stumble back, Sunset grabbed him by his arm and twisted his wrist, forcing him to drop the knife.

She spun around and closed the distance between them, planting her feet firmly into the ground before lifting with all her might and flipping the gangster over her shoulder. He landed hard against the cement, groaning in pain and holding his bleeding mouth.

Sunset turned and gestured with her hand to the remaining goon, who had watched with open mouthed fascination. It quickly turned into rage, and he barreled at Sunset with only his fists. Sunset jumped back, dodging the first swing, and catching the second one with the back of her wrist, knocking it away. She followed up by delivering a boot to his stomach, pushing him back some ways. He recovered and charged again like a raging bull, aiming a fist for Sunset’s face.

Sunset planted her feet again and grabbed it with both hands. Before the goon could catch her with his other fist, Sunset gave a sharp twist, eliciting a horrible _crack_ from within his arm, and drawing a cry of pain from the man. She released him and turned her body to the side, putting her hands together and bringing her elbow against his chest.

The gangster wheezed and drop to his knees before falling flat on his face, groaning in pain like his partner.

Wiping her hands on her skirt, Sunset stepped over the man’s body and exited the alley, casting one last glare back at Twilight who was still huddled against the wall. Sunset rolled her eyes and turned the corner, continuing down the road like nothing had happened.

_Eh, that was fun, I guess. Got a little anger out at least…_

“Wait!” Twilight’s voice called after her, dampening Sunset’s mood again. Sunset ignored her and picked up the pace.

“Where are you going?” Twilight shouted to her, having finally left the alley.

“Home,” Sunset said automatically.

“Wait, please, come back for a second!”

Sunset immediately stopped and did an about face, her legs betraying her desire to walk away. _What the heck is going on?_ She found herself marching back and stopping in front of Twilight who, Sunset noticed, was a few inches shorter than the other Twilight.

“What?” Sunset growled.

“Well, umm… I just…” Twilight wrung her hands, looking embarrassed. “Why did you save me?” she finally asked.

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Oh.” Twilight moved her hands behind her back. “Well, it was pretty cool to watch.”

“I’m _so_ glad you enjoyed the show.” With that, Sunset was finally able to pull herself away from the purple-haired nuisance and resume her trek home.

“Wait.” Twilight jogged to catch up to Sunset’s fast pace. “Can I at least know your name, please?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset responded before she could even think about it. _Why would I tell her my name? Whatever, not like it matters._

“Well, Sunset Shimmer, I’m pretty sure you saved my life.”

“Whoopdeedoo for me,” Sunset said, twirling a finger in the air.

Twilight cocked her head. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”

“Oh no, trust me, I’m absolutely _thrilled.”_

Twilight sighed. “Anyway, I just wanted to say—”

Sunset whirled around and jabbed a finger at her. “Listen, Twilight, I don’t care—”

“How do you know my name?”

“Because I already know who you are.” Sunset clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with realization. _Smooth move, Sunset._

“You… you know who I am?”

Sunset’s hand flew from her mouth. “Well technically, I know the other you that came from the mirror, so I know you by proxy.” She slapped both hands over mouth this time. _Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong._

Twilight was looking absolutely mystified. “Mirror? What are you talking about?”

Sunset tried her hardest not to say anything, to just keep silent and keep walking, but it was like a force similar to the one that had made her chase after Twilight’s assailants was now making her speak words she would have normally never said.

“The mirror that leads to Equestria, and only opens every thirty moons,” she blurted before covering her mouth again.

Twilight, now looking concerned, took a few steps back. “Are you okay?”

“No, I am _not_ okay!” Sunset yelled.

“Okay.” Twilight held her hands up. “Please, just take a deep breath."

Sunset found she didn’t have a choice in the matter, her lungs and mouth operating on their own accord. She took in a long, steady breath and exhaled slowly.

“Feeling better?”

“No!” If anything, Sunset felt even more unnerved now. These actions, these responses, they weren’t done by choice.

As Twilight opened her mouth again, Sunset flew forward and covered it. "Stop it! No more questions! Just stop talking! Listen to me, it doesn’t matter how I know you, okay? Yes, I saved your life, but it doesn’t mean anything! Just go home and pretend this never happened, and never, _ever_ talk to me again!”

Not waiting for a response, Sunset broke into a run, getting away from Twilight as fast as she could. Luckily, Twilight did not call after her.

_What the hell was that? Why would I say any of that to her? Why would I_ do _any of that for her? Okay, fine, maybe I would have stopped those thugs without… whatever that was making me do it. Not even Twilight Sparkle deserves… what they wanted to do to her. Ughh, why is she even around here anyway?_

Sunset didn’t stop running until she was almost home. Her lungs burned and her legs and feet ached horribly. She stopped and doubled over, panting for breath.

“Dammit… that stupid girl… it’s like the universe is content to torture me with her!” Standing up straight, she took a deep breath and walked the last leg of her journey. She was now on the edge of the industrial district of Canterlot’s eastern side. Most were run-down buildings signed for demolition, but the city had never gotten around to actually doing it.

Sunset slipped down a narrow alley and stopped at a blue door built into the side of one of the abandoned factories. She twisted the knob and gave the door a heavy shove with her shoulder, unsticking it and granting her access.

She reached for the light switch she knew was on the wall next to her, and a series of dim bulbs sprung to life, illuminating the black and white checkered hallway. After closing the door tight behind her, Sunset made her way down the hall, turning at the first set of staircases to her left. At the top was a door with ‘employees only’ scratched into it, and just beyond was Sunset’s room, or what had previously been the foreman’s office. She stepped inside and flicked another switch, awakening the single, naked bulb that hung from the middle of the ceiling.

The room had been modified to resemble something closer to a bedroom. An old wardrobe sat in the corner closest to the door, and a cracked full-body sized mirror leaned against the wall next to it. Her bed, or mattress really, was tucked into the opposite corner.

The wall right across from her was mostly a glass screen that looked down at the manufacturing plant, which had long since been emptied, leaving just a large vacant room. Sunset had kept the foreman’s desk that had been left over, leaving it in its spot in front of the glass. A small window was placed on the adjacent wall, just big enough to let sunlight through in the early morning.

Sunset hadn't bothered to decorate her room with much of anything else. The only thing that gave the room a touch of personality were the previous crowns she had won from past dances. They sat on her desk, neatly arranged in an orderly fashion. The Spring Fling crown she had won in her freshman year, when she had pretended she was a second-semester transfer student, followed by the sophomore and junior year editions. Then came the two Winter Ball crowns and the two Fall formal crowns, leaving a space for the crown she should have won tonight.

Exhausted, Sunset fell onto her bed, too tired to think about crowns or her lack thereof. She wanted to know why she had intervened for Twilight like she did. It was like she had no control of her body and was made to do someone else’s will.

_It had to be magic_. She let out a loud yawn, her eyes growing heavy. _But, what kind of magic could do something like that?_

Her eyes fluttered closed as sleep began to overtake her. Before it could claim her properly, her eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position, a faint, harmonic voice playing in her head.

_Until you can learn to love others above yourself, you shall be at their whim and mercy, aiding them whenever they ask for it, and telling them only the truth._

Sunset’s eyes contracted to pinpricks as the words replayed in her head. A lump of cold dread settled like a rock in her stomach.

“Oh no.”


	3. Step 3: Single-Minded Solitude

Sunset was surprised at the amount of sleep she had gotten last night. Pulling out her phone from her discarded jacket, she checked the time as well past one in the afternoon. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and moved herself to a sitting position, noticing she had fallen asleep in the clothes she had worn yesterday, save for her leather jacket which was laid at the foot her bed.

She sat in the dimness of her room, light weakly falling in from the window above her. The only other source of light came from the high windows on the manufacturing floor, but like Sunset’s personal window, they were small, and let in meager amounts of sun.

Sighing, Sunset fell back against her pillow, her arms splayed out at her sides. The events of last night played in her head like a movie. A really bad movie; at least from her perspective.

Sunset rolled onto her side, drawing her blanket closer to her neck. She thought she would be up all night dreading over what the Elements had done to her. Instead, she had instantly clocked out. She guessed her overly-exhausted body overrode her mental fears.

Now that she was awake, she had all the time in the world to worry over her new predicament. With a loud groan, Sunset forced herself out of bed, steadying herself against the wall as the world spun for a moment. After she had regained her bearings, she dragged herself over to her wardrobe and flung it open, grabbing some undergarments and a pair of pajamas.

Today was Saturday; meaning Sunset had no obligations whatsoever.

With her change of clothes in hand, Sunset tracked down the stairs and further down the checkered hallway. Fortunately, the factory she had picked as her home came with a small workers quarters that included a kitchen and a bathroom with a working shower. Unfortunately for her, the water was always cold.

Stepping into the small bathroom, Sunset turned the shower handle, starting the spray of cold water. She placed her spare change of clothes on the table next to the sink and undressed, dropping her filthy garments unceremoniously onto the floor.

After taking a few deep breaths, Sunset stepped into the shower, feeling the icy sting of the freezing water biting against her bare skin. She instantly began to shiver and hugged her chest out of instinct, trying to keep some of her body heat.

“Cold, cold, cold,” she said through chattering teeth. Feeling goosebumps coat her entire body, she decided to make the unpleasant experience as quick as possible. She grabbed the bar of soap sitting in its dish and furiously began scrubbing at the dirt the covered her, easing up around the bruises she had received.

When she was finished, she took the bottle of shampoo and squeezed a giant glob out of it, making quick work of washing her hair. When all of the soap suds had vanished down the drain, Sunset shut the shower off and hopped out onto the mat, snatching her towel off the rack and wrapping it around her body. She was still shivering, but the fluffy towel was helping to restore warmth to her body.

 _When was the last time I took a hot shower?_ She couldn’t remember. Perhaps it hadn’t been since she left Equestria. She frowned, hoping it really hadn’t been that long.

Securing the towel around herself, Sunset stepped over to the sink and opened the pantry behind the mirror, pulling out her toothbrush and toothpaste. Her body went into autopilot as she went through the mundane task of brushing her teeth.

 _Alright, what do I do now?_ The question from last night pushed itself to the front of her mind. What _could_ she do now? She was trapped in a foreign world, forced to go to a school where she hated everyone. And now, the feeling was mutual.

Simply put, she was banished.

 _Oh, but wait, there’s more! Now I’m cursed!_ She spat into the sink and glared at her reflection, which only glared back. “So the only reason I helped Twilight Sparkle was because she asked me to help her. Which is also why I said all of those things to her. So, if I’ve got this straight, anytime someone asks me to do something, I have to do it. And if they ask me a question, I have to answer it.”

She resumed brushing her teeth at furious speeds, ignoring the pain she was inflicting on her gums. _That’s just great! Fan-freaking-tastic! So this is my ‘penance’ is it? Yeah, that’s real harmonious of you, Elements! Force me to help someone when they ask for it!_

She spat again, scowling before a grin split her face. “Wait, who in their right mind is going to ask anything from me? No one at the school even likes me! Ha!”

After rinsing her mouth, Sunset finished drying off and slipped into her warm pajamas. Exiting the bathroom, she walked across the hall to the kitchen to fill her growling stomach.

“On the other hand,” she opened the refrigerator door and grabbed the carton of milk, “I might have to live with this for the rest of my life. Or at least until I ‘love someone more than myself’ or something stupid like that.” She frowned again, no longer feeling so confident.

Grabbing a box of cereal and a bowl from the cabinets, Sunset seated herself to a simple breakfast. “Hmm,” she said in between spoonfuls, “I’m probably going to need more food soon… and some new clothes.” Since her favorite ensemble was trashed, Sunset was down one pair of clothes in her already small selection.

But buying items was something that required money, something she knew she was running out of. She didn’t have Flash Sentry to buy her things anymore, and the savings she had accumulated from bullying the lower classmen out of their lunch money was starting to dwindle.

The way things were going, Sunset would be forced to get… she gagged on the next word. “A job.” She gave a groan of frustration. She couldn’t believe how fast things could go downhill.

Finishing her cereal and dumping the bowl in the sink, she made a mental note to wash the growing pile later. She stomped her way back to her room, slamming the door as hard as she could to vent some frustration. There had to be some simple solution that could fix all of her problems, but unless magic suddenly sprung up in this world, Sunset couldn’t see it.

She took a seat at her desk and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes. “Come on, Sunset, think of something! You’ve always got a plan!” She sat there for hours, scheming ideas and theories, each one more ridiculous and desperate than the last. With each one she discarded, she became more frustrated, shouting and pounding her fist against the wooden desk.

She felt like a wild animal caught in a hunter’s trap and unable to escape. She had told the spirits residing in the Elements of Harmony that she knew she had lost. She just didn’t know how bad her defeat really was until now.

“Maybe I should stay in here for the rest of my life.” She put her arms up on the desk and rested her head on them, feeling dismayed and hopeless. Even that plan had its flaws. If she didn’t show up to school, people would ask questions, and if they asked questions, they would go looking for answers.

And if they went looking for answers, they would find things that could get Sunset in trouble with this world’s law enforcement.

Despite her feelings of resentment, she was glad Celestia had decided not to turn Sunset over to the police for what happened last night. She wondered how the school was going to spin the events when the reporters came snooping.

Closing her eyes, Sunset focused on the heart of the matter: her penance. There was no way she could get through the rest of her life without people asking things of her. Her run in with Twilight had been proof of that.

“Something, something, something… until I make friends and care about other people more than me,” Sunset mumbled into her arm. They were really going to force her to play this game, force her to make friends.

She dug her nails into the sleeves of her pajama top. “Who says I want any friends? I’ve gotten by on my own just fine! I don’t need friends, I don’t need family! I only need myself!”

******

Sunday found Sunset at her desk, having sulked there until she had fallen asleep. She groaned, sitting up and rolling out a crick in her neck. Her mood had not improved in the slightest, but she knew she couldn’t hide away in her room forever. Why should she cower from the world? She was Sunset Shimmer, former student of Princess Celestia! She wouldn’t let a stupid enchantment stop her from realizing greatness. She’d find a way to outsmart or remove the curse, and she would do it without the help of anyone else.

With her newfound confidence, Sunset got up and selected a pair of casual clothes from her wardrobe. She decided today was as good as any to go shopping. After repeating yesterday’s ritual of showering and getting dressed, Sunset grabbed her wallet and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. Finding a suitable replacement for her leather jacket was priority number one.

After picking an apple from the kitchen, Sunset headed out the door, slamming it shut behind her. She shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight that greeted her face upon exiting the slender alley. After taking a moment to adjust, Sunset headed for the nearest bus stop a block away. While she hated public transportation, it beat walking all the way to the other side of town.

“I can’t wait until my motorcycle is fixed,” Sunset said under her breath.

She finished her apple and tossed the core into a nearby yard. _It’ll decompose eventually_ , she thought.

There was only one other man upon Sunset’s arrival at the bus stop. He had a nice suit on and was holding a briefcase in one hand. Sunset snickered to herself, feeling sorry for the saps that had to work on a Sunday.

“Oh, excuse me, miss?” The man addressed Sunset as she drew near. “Could you tell me the time?”

Sunset wanted to tell him to invest in a watch instead, but found her hand reaching into her pocket to grab her phone. “It’s twelve twenty-three,” she said, trying to keep the snark out of her voice.

“And do you know how often the bus comes through here?”

“About every fifteen minutes.”

The man smiled. “Thanks, you’ve been a big help.”

Sunset grunted and turned away. It had only been two days, and she was already thoroughly annoyed by her curse.

 _Oh come on, he just wanted to know the time,_ a small voice said. Sunset rolled her eyes in response.

“It’s a beautiful day out isn’t it?” the man continued.

Sunset looked up at the clear blue sky. A calm wind tousled hair. “Yeah, it is,” she said softly. She couldn’t have been more relieved when the bus arrived a minute later. She paid her fare and picked a seat near the back, getting as far away from the man and the rest of the scattered passengers on board as possible.

Lucky for her, the bus ride passed without incident. Thirty minutes later, she was on Canterlot’s nicer side, disembarking in front of the Canterlot Mall. It was a large, monstrosity of a thing, with its front being made mostly of polished glass, giving it the nickname the “Crystal Mall.” Though it was only two stories high, it could fill the space of two football stadiums.

She crossed through the large sliding doors and pulled out her list of things to buy, seeing ‘leather jacket’ at the top. Having been here several times prior, Sunset knew exactly where to buy one. She stepped across the glittering tiled floors, heading for the closest escalator. Despite the flaws of this world, Sunset had been greatly impressed by the technology here. She had been blown away by the concept of moving stairs upon seeing them the first time. Why didn’t Equestria have something like that? Or leather jackets?

Groups of teens and families moved about the mall, enjoying their weekend outing, and filling the place with echoes of talk and laughter. To Sunset, it was almost infectious.

Almost.

She found the store she had been looking for after a few minutes of walking and stepped inside, a wide grin on her face.

“Afternoon,” the store clerk said with a cheery disposition, until she saw who it was that walked through the door. Her face instantly fell. “Oh, it’s you, Sunset.”

Sunset paused and looked at the pale blue girl across the counter. A bright pink bow sat in her aqua colored hair. It took a moment, but Sunset finally recalled the girl’s name.

“Good afternoon, Flitter,” she said coolly, approaching the counter with a smirk. “I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Yes, well, unlike _some_ people, I have to work for the things I want.”

“Oh boo hoo, life is just _so_ hard and unfair.” Sunset couldn’t resist taunting her. Old habits seemed to die hard. “For your information, I _have_ worked for the things I wanted.”

Flitter narrowed her eyes. “No, you haven’t. You’ve lied, cheated and blackmailed.”

“And that isn’t work?”

Flitter grumbled a few unkind words to herself before readdressing Sunset with as much contempt as she could muster. “What do you want?”

“A leather jacket.” Sunset wasn’t sure whether she said it, or if it was the Elements making her.

Flitter pointed to the back corner where a small rack of black and brown jackets sat. “Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you,” she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

Sunset smiled and made her way over to the rack. She picked out a large brown one and pretended to examine it closely. “Hmm, no.” She dropped it to the floor and moved down the row, picking out another one. “Mmm, no,” she said, tossing it on top of the previous one. From the corner of her eye, she saw Flitter grind her teeth together.

Sunset continued her mischief until she pulled out a jacket she actually liked. It looked exactly like the old one she was wearing, only it had a longer trim and silver pointed spikes along the cuffs. “Oooh, yes! You’ll make a great replacement.”

She took the jacket over and laid it on the counter in front of Flitter who let out a long sigh. “Will that be all, ma’am?”

“Yes.”

Flitter clicked a few buttons on the cash register before taking the scanner and scanning the tag on the jacket. Her face brightened up and when she spoke, her original cheeriness had returned. “That’ll be three-hundred and twenty-two dollars, please.”

Sunset nearly choked. “W-What? You’ve gotta be kidding me! It didn’t cost that much last time!”

“Well,” Flitter explained with a large smile, “leather happens to be very in season right now, and this particular jacket is imported.” She leaned in towards Sunset and added in an overjoyed whisper, “From France.”

It was Sunset’s turn to grit her teeth. “I don’t have three-hundred bucks.”

Flitter shrugged, taking the jacket and moving towards the mess Sunset had made. “Too bad. No money, no jacket. Maybe you should come join us commoners in the working world and, oh, I don’t know, actually _work_ for it.”

Sunset opened her mouth, but Flitter beat her to it. “Oh, and if you threaten me, I _will_ call security.”

With a stomp and a clench of her fists, Sunset marched out of the store, swearing profusely.

“Stupid Flitter… three-hundred dollars… just a jacket… a really nice jacket. Where the hell am I supposed to get three hundred extra dollars to pay for that?”

Keeping her head down and muttering darkly to herself, Sunset didn’t see where she was going, and smacked straight into another person, sending them to the floor.

Sunset glared down at them. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going—ah! Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight got up and dusted herself, giving Sunset a curious stare. “Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here? And why did you bump into me?”

Instead of a scathing retort, Sunset said, “I was here trying to buy a new jacket, along with a few other things, but I found out the jacket I wanted was too expensive and I got mad and wasn’t looking where I was going.” She facepalmed.

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m sorry about the jacket,” Twilight said sincerely. “Maybe you can ask for it for Christmas?”

“I don’t have anyone to ask for anything for Christmas.” Sunset crossed her arms and looked away.

“You… you don’t?”

“No, I don’t, and I like it that way.” Sunset snapped her head back at Twilight and held up a hand. “Wait a minute. Do you not remember what I told you two nights ago?”

Twilight rubbed a hand against the back of her neck, her expression caught between guilty and sad. “To not talk to you?”

“Yes. And what are you doing right now?”

“Well technically, you bumped into me and initiated the conversation…” She fell silent at the look on Sunset’s face.

Sunset was enjoying this dominion over Twilight. She only wished it had been this easy to put down the other one. “I’ll say it again: leave me alone!” She turned on her heel and started to storm off.

“Can I at least say thank you?”

Sunset stopped and looked over her shoulder. “For what?”

Twilight clasped her hands behind her back and nervously kicked at the floor. A move that reminded Sunset of Fluttershy. “For saving my life. I never got a chance to say thanks.”

“Yeah, well…” Sunset found she couldn’t think of a good comeback and instead just said, “You’re welcome.” She turned to walk away again, but Twilight’s voice stopped her.

“What were you talking about Friday night? About the mirror to… Equestria, was it? And something about another me?”

“It’s none of your business!” Sunset snapped. _Ha, technically that’s true! None of that is any of her business!_

Twilight put her hands on her hips and scowled. “Why isn’t it? You said there was another Twilight Sparkle!”

Sunset found herself forced to turn around and answer, “Yes, there’s another Twilight Sparkle, but you’ll never meet her so it doesn’t matter!” With a frustrated growl, Sunset broke into a run, pushing past other mall goers in her attempt to flee.

“Wait, come back here! You owe me an explanation!”

“I owe you nothing!”

Ignoring the stares of everyone she passed by, Sunset continued running until she was sure Twilight hadn’t followed her. She stopped, catching her breath at a water fountain and taking a long drink, wiping her mouth on her sleeve afterward.

 _Wait._ Sunset looked back at the way she had run. _Twilight asked me for an explanation, but I wasn’t forced to give her one._ Sunset leaned against the wall, pressing a palm against her head. _Well, no. She demanded one. Guess that isn’t the same as just asking._

She grit her teeth and pounded a fist against the wall. “Stupid girl. Stupid curse. Is this how I’m going to spend the rest of my life? Running away from questions?” No. It was just Twilight Sparkle she had to avoid. She was the only problem.

She was always the problem.


	4. Step 4: The Canterlot High Five

Sunset walked back home from the Canterlot High campus, her arms and legs sore from another day of manual labor. Never so much did she wish she had her magic powers back.

“Laying concrete and bricks... that’s earth pony work,” she grumbled.

Her hands were filthy and crusted with dried cement, matching her clothes. She looked down at the gray splatter that Snails had ‘accidentally’ spilled over her shirt, but Sunset had a feeling it was on purpose. Unfortunately, there had been witnesses around, so Sunset couldn’t threaten to severely hurt him later. She was too tired to do it anyway.

For the past four days, Sunset had gotten up early and dragged herself down to the school to help repair the damage she had done. It had occurred to her to simply skip out on her punishment and let the professional construction workers do all the work. But, she had decided she was in enough trouble as it was. Besides, if she didn’t do this, Celestia might ‘ask’ her to do something even more unpleasant. Then she’d have no choice.

During her work, Sunset had found time to ponder more of the nature of her 'penance' and what exactly triggered it. The first time she had run into this world's Twilight Sparkle, she had been practically trapped by the constant assault of questions. But when Sunset had met her in the mall, she had been able to escape even though Twilight had demanded a response.

She had compiled all of the instances together, adding in all the times one of the workers had asked her for something and concluded that her curse was mostly favor based. If someone _asked_ for something, she had to comply, but if it was an order, she wasn't obligated to say yes.

Apparently, the word 'please' also triggered it.

Sunset took small comfort knowing she couldn't be ordered around by technicality, but having to do what others asked of her still stung and aggravated her like a nasty bug bite.

“One more day, Sunset, just one more day.” By tomorrow, all of the repairs would be finished, and school could resume the following Monday. Then all Sunset would have to worry about was a month of detention. She huffed. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do.

There was a low rumble from her stomach, and Sunset decided she had a craving for something sweet. She still had some cash after going grocery shopping earlier that week, so she decided to stop by the Sugarcube Corner Pastry Shop. She paused and zipped up her jacket, covering the ugly stain on her shirt. People already thought she was a monster; she didn’t want them to think she was a dirty street urchin too.

She found the shop, true to its name, sitting on the corner of Sugarcube Street. Once she pushed the door open and stepped inside, all of the conversation stopped. Sunset recognized almost all of the customers as students from school. They all looked at her with mixtures of surprise, interest, and fear. Or maybe that was anger, Sunset couldn’t tell, nor did she particularly care.

Sunset quickly grew agitated with the silent pause. “What are you all looking at?” she demanded, stomping her boot against the floor. The students stared at her for a few more seconds before going back to their conversations, now spoken in hushed tones.

She balled her fists and marched over to the counter, but it wasn’t like her usual haughty, and assertive walk. It was a march of shame, further burdened by the judgmental eyes of her peers weighing down on her conscience.

“How can I help you?” Mrs. Cake asked in a rather cool tone. Sunset knew for a fact she wasn't in good graces with the Cakes.

“I’ll just have a strawberry cupcake and a scone.” Sunset sighed.

Mrs. Cake pulled the two objects from their respective trays and placed them in a bag before ringing Sunset up. Sunset paid the amount and as she turned to leave, her eyes ran over five horribly familiar faces sitting in a booth near the front.

_Just ignore them, Sunset. Just keep walking._ She started a brisk pace towards the door.

“Hey, Sunset,” Applejack called. “Couldja come here a sec?”

_Dammit_. Sunset felt a jolt run down her spine, and her legs brought her over to the five girls. “What?” she asked curtly.

Applejack pointed to an empty chair nearby. “Sit down with us for a minute.”

Sunset really didn’t want to, but since they were probably going to ask her again, she saved herself the trouble and took a seat. “Alright, what do you want?”

“Well, uh…” Applejack coughed into her hand, looking around at her friends. No one else said anything so she continued. “We just wanted to see how you were doin’.

“Really?” Sunset crossed her arms. Looking at each of them in turn, she measured her disdain for all of them.

Applejack and her annoying southern accent and ridiculous hat.

Rainbow Dash glared back at her while she sipped on a smoothie. As much as Sunset hated her, she had to admit she admired Rainbow’s guts the occasional time she stood up to her.

Fluttershy fiddled with her hair, looking nervous. _Spineless coward._

Pinkie bounced in her seat, the only one looking excited to be here. Her constant optimistic demeanor and happy-go-lucky attitude made Sunset want to tear her hair out. _How can one person be so annoying?_

Then there was Rarity. The prima donna, wannabe cheerleader who wanted the whole school to look up to her. Sunset would have hated her more if they didn’t have that in common.

“Yes, really,” Applejack insisted. “Look, Ah know we’ve all had our differences in the past, but Ah was thinkin’ now would be a good time to put them behind us and start fresh.”

“Start fresh.” Sunset honestly couldn’t believe this was happening. “You girls seriously want to be my friends?” she asked with a laugh.

Pinkie Pie nodded her head fervently. “Uh-huh! Maybe if you had some friends, you wouldn’t be such a meany. And I mean, come on! You can never have too many friends!”

Sunset furrowed her brow. _These girls must think I’m stupid._ “Okay, let me ask you this: do you girls _really_ want to be my friend? Or are you just doing this as a favor to Twilight Sparkle?”

Three out of the five faces changed from warm and inviting, to looks of guilt. Pinkie Pie still wore her smile and said, “Both!”

Fluttershy sunk into her seat, trying to look as small as possible. “Oh, it’s not that… well… it kinda is that… but we _do_ kind of want to be your friends… well… um…” She grew quiet and hid behind her pink cascade of hair.

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Alright, yes, we did make a promise to Twilight. But, Ah honestly want to try and help ya, Sunset.”

Sunset raised a brow at the sincere look in her eye. These… weren’t exactly the answers she was expecting. She turned and looked at Rainbow Dash whose face remained as impassive as when Sunset first approached them.

Rainbow caught her eye and said, “I’m just doing this as a favor. I still don’t like you, and if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have agreed to this. Let me remind you that over the past three years you’ve: torn our friendship apart, bullied everyone beneath you, humiliated practically everyone in the school at least once…” Her voice had grown more intense as she spoke, and by this point, Rainbow was standing up, her face red with anger. “And, oh yeah, let’s not forget the best part: you turned into a demon _and tried to kill us!”_

The shop went quiet again, all eyes on Rainbow this time as she stood in her seat, breathing like she had just run a lap around the track at top speed. She fell back into the cushion, crossed her arms and stared out the window. “So forgive me if I don’t feel like exchanging warm fuzzies with you.”

That was the answer Sunset had been expecting, though she hated to admit that it stung a bit more than she thought it would have. “And what about you, Rarity?” Sunset faced the last member who hadn’t given their opinion.

The noise level in the shop had risen back to a low murmur, as Rarity sat in quiet contemplation. Her eyes were closed and she held her head in her hand.

“Well, Sunset, Rainbow is right. Ever since you first showed up freshman year, you’ve been nothing but trouble, slowly getting worse and becoming downright evil as time went by.” She opened her eyes and stared right into Sunsets with an expression that was neither judgmental nor angry but seemed to pierce all the same.

She continued. “You’ve lied, blackmailed, cheated, stolen, ridiculed, threatened and hurt everyone around you. You’ve done nothing for the sake of anyone other than yourself, and last Friday, we all saw you for what you truly were.”

Sunset found herself sliding down in her own seat. Rainbow’s words had stung, but the way Rarity delivered them seemed to just cut at her. She didn’t yell them; she just laid them out as plain as day. It was almost like listening to the Element spirits again.

“However,” Rarity's gaze softened. “You also showed great remorse that night. Yes, I made a promise to a friend, but I know that we can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do—”

“Why not?” Rainbow interrupted. “She forced everyone else to do things they didn’t want to do.”

Applejack smacked her with her hat. “Hush, Rainbow and let Rarity finish.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “As I was saying… if you don’t want to be our friend, then fine, that’s your decision. But, if you honestly meant what you said, that you were sorry and didn’t know any other way… then I’m willing to help show you how wonderful it is to make friends instead of driving people apart.”

Sunset was silent, a turbulent storm of thoughts and feelings rolling through her. Most of them genuinely wanted to be her friend despite what she had done to them in the past. Especially Rarity, even after what had happened at the Spring Fling.

_Did I actually mean it when I said I was sorry? Sorry I failed, yes. But the rest of it… was that me or just the Elements talking?_ Sunset definitely felt _something_ when Rarity had thrown all of her actions back in her face. Perhaps she really did feel remorse.

Sunset scrunched her face. This was going against everything she believed in! She didn’t need friends! And she hated everyone at this table!

Still…

At this point, they were the only ones who would even _consider_ being friends with her. Anyone else would laugh in her face… then Sunset would have to knock their teeth out. They were the only people who could help her lift the curse set on her. As much as she loathed to admit it, she needed them.

_Just until the curse is gone, then I’m back on my own!_

She raised her head and looked back at their expectant faces. With a deep breath she said, “Fine. I guess…. I would like…” She clenched her teeth and said with a strained voice, “I would like to try and be… _friends._ ”

Pinkie lunged across the table and tackled Sunset into a tight hug, nearly knocking her to the floor.

“Ohmygosh! This is going to be soooooo amazing! You can come and hang out with us, and we’ll have sleepovers and parties, and go to the movies and the mall together! It’s going to be so much fun, I can’t stand it! We can be the Canterlot High Five! Oh wait, there’s six of us now. Hmm, oh, oh, I know! We can be the Mane Six! You know like M-A-N-E! ‘Cause we’re the Wondercolts! Oh, I’m just so excited—”

“Pinkie, if you do not let go of me, I will be forced to hurt you.”

Pinkie unwrapped her arms from Sunset and scooted back across the table looking sheepish.

Rarity reached over and patted her shoulder. “Baby steps, dear, baby steps.” She smiled back at Sunset. “Still, I’m glad you decided to accept our offer.”

“Yeah, well it’s not like I had much of a choice,” Sunset muttered, dusting herself off. “First rule: don’t touch me.” It was mostly directed at Pinkie and her love of hugs.

Pinkie slumped in her chair. “Awww.”

Sunset crossed her arms again. “So, now what?”

“Well,” Fluttershy spoke, having lifted herself back up in her seat. She pressed her fingertips together in a nervous manner. “Since we’re friends, why don’t you tell us something about yourself?”

“I’m a magical unicorn from another dimension, and I used to be Princess Celestia’s best student,” Sunset said automatically.

“Wait, yer from that other place too?” Applejack asked.

“Yes, didn’t Twilight tell you that?”

They all shook their heads.

Rainbow Dash leaned forward. “And did you say you were Princess _Celestia’s_ student? I thought Twilight was a princess?”

Sunset sighed. She was regretting this friendship thing already. “Yes, I was Celestia’s student. She’s a princess in that world. A super powerful one at that. But yeah, Twilight’s a princess too. The rite of ascension has to be earned. And I guess she earned it,” Sunset added bitterly.

“Did you know Twilight back there?” Pinkie asked.

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t learn about her until sometime later when I was inspecting the portal again. On full moons, if you concentrate really hard, you can see back into Equestria. I saw some of the study sessions she and Celestia had together in the throne room.”

There was a pang of sadness in Sunset’s heart, and she quickly stood up to leave. “Second rule: don’t ask me any more questions about Equestria or Twilight Sparkle.” She turned on her heel and began to walk out when Pinkie called to her.

“Wait, Sunset, we’re going to the street fair on Saturday! Do you wanna come with us?”

“No.”

“Aw, come on, please? It’s something friends do!”

“Alright... I’ll go.” _Dammit!_

Pinkie cheered and Sunset rolled her eyes, heading out the front door. She was halfway through when she realized she was missing something. She turned around and marched back to the table, smacking Pinkie’s hand as she reached for the bag of treats Sunset had almost left.

“Rule three: touch my stuff and I will hurt you.”

Pinkie gave her another sheepish grin.


	5. Step 5: If you’re Gonna Come Around

There was a _thud_ as Sunset dropped the last can of paint into the back of the truck. She rubbed her fingers on her jeans, smearing the leftover paint across them and making a face of disgust.

She turned from the curbside and admired a week’s worth of hard work that had resulted in the new front wall of the school. It more or less looked the same. Principal Celestia said the school budget couldn’t allow them to spring for anything fancy. Still, Sunset felt some satisfaction knowing that she had helped rebuild it with her own blood, sweat, and tears.

And she vowed _never_ to do it again.

She had almost been able to sneak away the second they had put in the front door, but one of the workers had politely ‘asked’ her to help stay and clean everything up. And Sunset just couldn’t say no.

Clean up had taken another hour of Sunset’s time. Not that she had much to do, but still; anything beat working longer than she had to.

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon when the construction workers finally left, leaving Snips, Snails and Sunset alone in front of the school. The two boys were talking to one another, while Sunset rested against the statue, her arms tired from another day of manual labor.

Just as the two boys began walking away, Sunset called out to them. She had something she needed to get off her chest, and it had taken days to finally work up the nerve to say it.

“Snips, Snails,” she barked. It hadn’t meant to come out that way; she was just so used to addressing them as nothing more than servants.

They both flinched before slowly turning around, like two children who had been caught stealing sweets from the kitchen. Their large puppy-dog eyes made Sunset purse her lips and cross her arms out of habit. That was usually the expression they gave her when they had bad news to deliver.

And they knew she hated bad news.

Snips rubbed the back of his neck, trying to avoid Sunset’s gaze. “Listen, Sunset, we can’t… well, we don’t _want_ to hang out with you anymore.”

"Y-yeah,” Snails continued, taking slow steps backward. “My mom said you’re a bad influence. And we don’t wanna get in any more trouble.”

Both of them proceeded to duck and cover their faces in preparation for Sunset’s imminent lashing. She watched them stay like that for a whole minute, honestly thinking whether or not she should hit them one last time.

When the beating never came, Snails uncurled himself and looked up at Sunset with a more than usual dimwitted expression. “Uhh, aren’t you going to hit us?”

“No. Do you want me to hit you?”

Snips covered Snails’ mouth. “No, we’re good,” he said hastily.

“Alright then.” Sunset stared at them, trying to find the right words to say. She had never really apologized for anything before, at least, not on her sole free will.

She rolled her head back and looked up at the salmon colored sky, sighing. “Listen, you two, I just wanted to say…” she mumbled something that was lost on the gentle wind.

“What?” Snips and Snails asked simultaneously.

“I said I’m sorry, okay?” She brought her gaze back to them. It must have been unnerving because both of them flinched again. “I’m sorry you guys got dragged down with me. You two were just following orders. None of this was your fault. So… I’m sorry.”

Sunset fought against the urge to gag. The very act of asking for forgiveness made her feel sick to her stomach. But some small part of her—an annoying part that she was becoming more and more aware of—felt like she at least needed to apologize to the two she had treated as helper monkeys for the past year.

Both of them gave her stares of incomprehension. They looked at each other, then back to Sunset, then to each other again.

“Sunset, are you—” Snips was cut off by a wave of Sunset’s hand.

“No questions! Just… just know that I said sorry, okay? You don’t have to accept it, but it’s there.” She started walking down the road, past Snips and Snails who flinched once more. She had reached the corner when Snips called back to her.

“Sunset… uh, thanks, I guess. For what it’s worth, not _all_ of it was bad.”

Snails nodded. “Yeah, turning into monsters was pretty cool. It was just like Halloween.”

Sunset just shook her head and kept walking. “Idiots,” she mumbled. Still, she was glad they didn’t outright hate her. Under different circumstances, Sunset could have easily manipulated them back into working for her. But now… her heart just wasn’t in it.

She _wanted_ to be cruel. She _wanted_ to be spiteful. She wanted to blame everyone around her and lash out with revenge. But with every passing day, Sunset was finding it harder and harder to deny that she was in the wrong. The fault was hers.

Well, mostly.

She could still find some solace in blaming Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Unfortunately, that solace quickly melted into annoyance when she remembered she now had to be friends with them. It was just one defeat after another. Beaten, cursed, and now forced to be friends with the people who put her in this situation in the first place.

_Just until I can trick the Elements into getting this curse off of me. Then, I’m going to get my revenge and get as far away from them as possible!_

She knew it was easier said than done. Tomorrow would be her first test: a whole day at the street fair. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. There were about a thousand things she’d rather do than spend a whole day with the five of them.

_I wonder… if I tie myself up so I can’t leave…_

Sunset blanched. _Alright, now I’m just being ridiculous._

******

Sunset awoke to the sound of the repetitive ring of her alarm buzzing in her ears. She took her pillow and slammed it over her head trying to drown the noise out. Eventually, common sense returned to her, and she reached out to slap the alarm clock, shutting it off.

Peaceful silence reigned throughout her room once more. Sunset closed her eyes in relief, eager to go back to sleep. _Technically, Pinkie never said_ when _I had to be there…_

Sunset was now inclined to believe that the universe hated her, for, at that moment, she could hear her phone ring in her jacket pocket.

_Don’t pick it up. Just leave it alone. You might be able to get out of this one on technicality._ The phone continued to emit its high-pitched ring, persistent on being answered. Sunset matched its persistence with her stubbornness, refusing to move out of her comfortable spot.

As the phone rang and rang, the question of how any of them had gotten her number popped into her head. She made it a point to ask them the next time she saw them.

After an hour, Sunset was ready to chuck her phone out the window. She crawled out of bed and thrust her hand into her jacket pocket, snatching her phone and checking the screen.

_157 Missed calls. 156—_ 'bing’— _157 Voicemails. 50 text messages._ All of them from one number. The phone vibrated in Sunset’s hand, begging to be answered.

_Just throw it, Sunset! Rip out the battery, ignore it! Just, for the love of Celestia,_ don’t pick it up!

Sunset’s thumb un-flipped the phone and she held it up to her ear. “Hello?” _Dammit girl, why?_

“Oh my gosh, Sunset I was starting to think you were _never_ gonna pick up!” Pinkie’s shrill voice drilled into Sunset’s brain. “Were you asleep? I bet you were asleep, I mean it’s Saturday! I just love sleeping in on Saturdays, but I love hanging out with my friends even more! And it’s eleven anyway, and my Granny Pie used to always say to me, ‘the early bird catches the worm.’ Which is a weird saying, because we aren’t birds and we definitely don’t eat worms. Oh, but before I forget, we’re all gonna meet at the corner of Third and Hay Street at noon so we can start spending the day together! I forgot to tell you on Thursday and I’d hate for you to get lost.”

“...Yes, Pinkie, I was asleep,” Sunset finally got to answer.

“Oopsies, sorry I woke you up. But, it’s time to rise and shine anyway! _Good morning, good morning! It’s such a lovely day! Good morning, good morning—”_

Sunset slammed the phone shut, restraining herself not to throw it against the wall. It was decided; she hated Pinkie Pie the most.

With a loud groan, she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror, noting her horrible bed head and the bags under her eyes. “I should probably get ready before I’m dragged down there looking like this.”

She gathered her clothes for the day and made her way to the bathroom. The water felt exceptionally cold that morning. After getting dressed and applying a little makeup, Sunset moved to the kitchen and shoved a hot pocket into the microwave. Just as it dinged, Sunset felt a jolt run through her spine, and her legs began moving on their own accord.

“No, wait a minute! I’m going to go, just give me a sec!” She reached for her phone and checked the time. It was exactly noon.

Sunset gripped onto the door frame trying to drag herself back into the kitchen to at least fetch her lunch. But the rest of her body wouldn’t have it. With a few loud swears, Sunset gave up and marched out her front door, slamming it with extra vice.

“This is officially cruel and unusual punishment.”

******

“You’re late.”

Sunset glared at Rainbow Dash as she approached the five girls sitting at a small café on Third Street. They all gave her a welcoming smile, save for Rainbow who had simply pointed an accusatory finger.

“Forgive me, _your highness;_ I wasn’t informed of the time until the last minute.”

“Don’t give me any of that,” Rainbow snipped. “Pinkie told us she had spent an hour trying to call you.”

Pinkie bobbed her head. “Yeah, but I guess I must have killed your battery, ‘cause the connection died while I was talking.”

“Yeah… battery died… that was it.” Sunset made sure not to make eye contact. “Anyway, let’s hurry up and get this over with.”

Rainbow huffed. “No need to sound so enthusiastic. Feel free to leave whenever you want.”

_Trust me, I would if I could._

Fluttershy put a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Be nice, both of you. We’re here to have fun, remember?”

Sunset looked down the street to where a plethora of booths and tables had been set up. Small carnival games were dispersed between trinket stands, and Sunset could even see a petting zoo way down at the end of the block. None of it looked really appealing.

“Yeah, I’m not sure if any of this can constitute as ‘fun,” Sunset said with a deep line of skepticism. She felt an arm wrap around her neck as Pinkie hooked her into a close embrace.

“Oh, don’t be such a party pooper, Sunset! There are all kinds of fun that can be had at a street fair!”

“Pinkie, you’re violating rule number one,” Sunset said testily.

Pinkie removed her arm, but the smile didn’t leave her face. “I really want to see the magic show later!”

Fluttershy pointed to the end of the street. “I’d really love to go see the petting zoo. If it isn’t too much trouble that is…”

“Me and R.D. put on a wager,” Applejack said. “The one with fewer prizes from the games has to come to school wearing the frilliest dress Rarity can make.”

Rarity looked up from the smoothie she had been drinking. “Why hadn’t I been informed of this?”

“We’re telling you now aren’t we?” Rainbow grinned.

“Hmph.” Rarity stood up from the table and discarded her cup into the trash can. “Very well, I’ll do it, but only because it’d be absolutely worth it to see Applejack in frills.”

“Hey, what makes you think Ah’m gonna lose?”

“Nothing, but a girl can dream, can’t she?”

Sunset massaged her temples, swearing under her breath. “Listen, are you just going to sit here and talk, or are you actually going to _do_ something? Because If I wanted to do nothing, I would have stayed home.”

Rainbow’s grin melted back into a scowl. “Why don’t you just go home, then?”

Sunset tried to turn and leave but found her boots stuck to the ground. She looked back at Rainbow and growled, “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

Sunset waited for her vocal cords to act on their own. Her stomach constricted in fear, and she could feel her heart rate soar. _Crap, they’ll find out about the curse! I’m doomed!_

She didn’t care if they had good intentions. If they found out they could make her do anything they wanted just by asking, her life would be over. It was bad enough with them involuntarily asking things of her. If they did it consciously…

Only, the words never came. There was no force on her throat like there usually was when she was asked a question. Sunset blinked slowly as the revelation dawned on her.

_I don’t have to tell them about the curse! I can lie about that! I don’t have to tell them squat!_ It seemed the Elements had been merciful in some small degree. Sunset would have danced right then and there if it weren’t for the confused stares she was receiving. She still hadn’t answered Rainbow’s question.

“Uhh… because I’m just so excited to be spending the day with all of you!” _Man, it feels good to lie again!_

“See? I told you girls she’d warm up to us!” Pinkie cheered.

Rainbow gave both Sunset and Pinkie a look of hard disbelief before brushing them off and starting down the street.

Sunset sneered behind her. _Don’t worry, Dash, the feeling’s mutual._

Not wanting to start a scene, the group departed from the café, deciding to explore all of the booths first before taking a break for the magic show, and then ending the day with the petting zoo.

The booths they all stopped at had various bobbles and knickknacks, none of which appealed to Sunset. Whenever the clerk would ask if she was interested in something, Sunset gave a curt, stinging reply of, “No.” Something she probably would have done even without the curse.

They spent over half an hour at a small jewelry stand, waiting for Rarity to make up her mind whether or not she wanted to buy something.

She put on a pair of expensive looking earrings, admiring herself in the mirror. “What do you think, Sunset? Does this make me look good?”

Sunset leaned against the counter, the epitome of boredom on her face. Why Rarity was asking for her opinion, she would never know. “I think it makes you look like a wh—”

“Ooh, is that a ruby necklace?” Rarity darted off to another table.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. She would have hated it if Rarity had heard the end of that sentence.

In the end, Rarity decided that she couldn’t afford to buy any of the jewelry on display. “They all look nice, but I should really be saving my money for the holidays.”

“Well, there goes a half-hour I’ll never get back,” Sunset grumbled to herself. She gave a side glance to Rarity, who continued walking like she hadn’t heard anything.

They stopped at all the game booths, watching Applejack and Rainbow Dash compete for the most prizes. Applejack won the water gun shootout, and Rainbow retaliated by crushing her in a free-throw competition. The next booth was a classic knock-the-the-bottles-down-with-a-baseball type of game.

Applejack and Rainbow took turns making perfect shots, until Rainbow finally misjudged her throw, and left one bottle standing.

After claiming her prize of a large stuffed teddy bear, Applejack picked up another baseball and held it out to Sunset. “Come on, girl, why don’t you quit bein’ such a stick in the mud and have a little fun?”

Sunset assumed that was supposed to be taken as a favor since her hand reacted and took the ball. She shrugged, deciding one game wouldn’t kill her. After tossing it up and down a few times to get a feel for it, Sunset took aim at the stacked silver milk bottles, her face a mask of concentration. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.

She brought her arm back, then hurled the ball with all her strength, watching it tear through the air… straight past the bottles and through the back of the booth’s tenting.

Rainbow burst into uncontrollable laughter, doubling over in tears. “Oh my God, that was horrible!”

“Wow.” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “That was… unexpected.”

Sunset stared open-mouthed at the hole she had made. How on Earth had she missed a throw like that? She felt her eye begin to twitch as Rainbow fell over onto the ground, still laughing at Sunset’s failure.

The operator of the stand looked from Sunset to hole and back. “Err, would you like to try again?”

Glaring daggers, Sunset said in clipped tones, “Yes, I’d like to try again.”

He placed another ball on the counter and took a few steps to the side. Sunset grabbed the ball and took aim once more, trying to drown out Rainbow’s snickering. She had half a mind to aim for her head but knew she probably wouldn’t get any friendship points from that.

She let the ball fly from her hand, watching it sail once more, this time on a straight course for the bottles. There was a clink and a crash as they fell to the floor, and Sunset whirled around and jabbed a finger at Rainbow. “Ha! In your face!”

Still smiling, Rainbow got back to her feet. “Oh yeah, you sure showed me. Way to finally knock those over.”

Sunset wanted to make a scathing retort but was interrupted by the man behind the counter. “Ma’am, here’s your prize.” He held out a small, pink unicorn doll.

_How ironic,_ Sunset thought, taking the plushie in her hands.

“Aww.” Pinkie materialized by Sunset’s shoulder. “It’s so cute! What are you gonna name it?”

“Nothing. Why would I name an inanimate object?”

“Because it’s fun, silly!”

Sunset rolled her eyes and shoved the toy into Pinkie’s hands. “Then you keep it. I’m sure you two will be very happy together.”

Pinkie shook her head and pushed it back. “I can’t take that from you, it’s your prize! Besides, I’m sure she’ll be _much_ happier with you! You two have so much in common!”

“She?” Sunset looked back down at the unicorn. It did seem to possess more feminine qualities. _Of course, in this world, all unicorns are generalized as feminine creatures._

_Hmph, fine I’ll keep you._ A sinister smile crept onto Sunset’s face. _I’ll call you Twilight Sparkle, and when we get home, I’ll show you your new castle. The top of my stove!_ “Hehehehe.”

“See? I knew you two would get along!” Pinkie beamed.

******

“Come see the Supreme and Mystical Artemis Lulamoon,” Rainbow read off the sign in front of the impromptu stage that had been set up. “Lulamoon…. Lulamoon… wait, isn’t that Trixie’s last name?”

Rarity nodded. “Must be related. Her father, I’d wager.”

“Ughh, Pinkie, you really want to see this?”

Pinkie nodded and said, “Uh-huh! I hear he’s really good. And not like Trixie who is okay good, but actually _good_! He was an opening act in Las Vegas!”

“Well, we already agreed to see it, so we might as well take our seats,” Rainbow sighed.

For once, Sunset agreed with her. This was sure to be another colossal waste of their time. Trixie was dismal at best; there was no way her father could be much better if he was the one teaching her.

They took their seats near the front row, Pinkie bouncing up and down in her chair with excitement. Looking around, Sunset saw a pretty large crowd had gathered. _Poor saps. At least no one had to pay for this._

There was a large plume of purple smoke that covered the stage, and from it, a man appeared. He was tall with silver hair and a well-trimmed goatee, and was wearing a very expensive looking blue suit with white shoes and a purple cape.

“Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls!” He started in the typical showman type of voice. “Welcome to today’s performance of… _The Supreme and Mystical Artemis Lulamoon!”_ The stage erupted with lights and sparklers, and the crowd began to clap and cheer.

“That wasn’t magic folks, that was just pyrotechnics.” Artemis grinned.

A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. Sunset just blew a stray piece of hair out of her face.

“Ah, I can already tell you’ll be a lovely audience!” He reached into his sleeve and produced a large bouquet of flowers, tossing it into the crowd. Just as some of the older girls in the crowd reached for it, the flowers burst into a stream of bubbles and were blown away by the wind.

While the girls looked disappointed, the rest of the crowd clapped in amazement.

“Pfft, it’s just smoke and mirrors,” Sunset muttered, only to be shushed by Rainbow.

“Alright, time for some _real_ magic!” Artemis announced, pulling out a wand from his other sleeve. “Now with my magic words, I’m going to make…” He scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on Pinkie Pie. “That young girl right there, levitate up onto the stage!”

Pinkie gasped, breaking into a smile that—Sunset believed—shouldn’t have been able to fit on her face.

Artemis waved his wand. “One, two, three, _Lulamoon!”_ Pinkie’s entire chair instantly began to rise off the ground and float towards the main stage.

Everyone began to murmur in excitement; even Sunset had to admit she was struck with wonder. Magic like that couldn’t be possible in this world.

Pinkie landed on the stage and clapped her hands. “That was so _amazing!_ ”

“Glad you enjoyed, kid, but I’m not done yet! For my next act, I’ll pull a rabbit from your hair!” He reached into the nest that was Pinkie’s mane, rummaging around for a few seconds before frowning. “Well, this is a twist.” He withdrew his arm, bringing with him not a white rabbit, but a small, green reptile. “Is this a baby crocodile?”

“Nope.” Pinkie smiled, taking the scaly creature from Artemis. “This is my pet baby alligator, Gummy! Don’t worry, he doesn’t have any teeth, see?” Pinkie pulled back his mouth, revealing only pink gums.

Artemis scratched his head. “Well now, that’s some magic all on its own.” He smiled as the crowd chuckled at his and Pinkie’s antics. “Regardless, _Lulamoon!”_ The chair levitated again, returning back to its original spot between Sunset and Rainbow.

Sunset stared at Pinkie and Gummy, her mouth set in a thin line. “Why do you have a baby alligator in your hair?”

“Because fish are too mainstream.”

“Now,” Artemis continued, “could I please have a willing volunteer come and assist me onstage?”

Sunset felt her hand shoot up and she said, “I’ll do it!” _What the heck? That wasn’t aimed at me! And he said_ willing _volunteer!_

The damage was done, however, as Artemis pointed her out and beckoned her to the stage.

“Alright, Sunset, whoohoo!” Pinkie cheered.

“Ah’m surprised she volunteered in the first place,” Applejack whispered to Rarity, who nodded in turn.

Sunset stomped onto the stage, an angry scowl on her face. “Alright, what do you want me to do?”

“Well first off, smile more. It’d be a shame if your pretty face got stuck like that.” Artemis joked.

“Not gonna happen.”

“Boy, you’re just a ball of sunshine aren’t ya?” At that moment, a sphere of light appeared over Sunset’s head, and the crowd broke into more laughter. “At least tell us your name.”

“Sunset Shimmer.”

“Well, Sunny, for my next trick, I’m going to saw you in half!”

Sunset’s half-lidded stare quickly changed to an expression of horror. “What?”

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun!” He pointed his wand to the curtain behind him, which opened up and revealed a long horizontal box. “You slip inside, I cut you in half and separate them for the audience to see. Then I’ll go out for a milkshake and come back in time to put you back together.”

“Not funny,” Sunset growled.

Artemis tapped her on the nose. “Then you, my friend need a better sense of humor.” He stood up straight. “Besides, you already volunteered, so into the box you go!”

Begrudgingly, Sunset walked over to the box and climbed inside. Artemis closed both sections, leaving only her head and feet exposed. He produced a saw from what looked like thin air and held it over the middle of the box.

_If I die here, my most notable accomplishment will have been_ almost _taking over Equestria. That’s a sad thought._

Sunset had heard this type of trick was performed all the time, but she always thought the people who volunteered knew beforehand, and that there was really just some dummy in the second half of the box. Now that she was lying up there, Sunset realized that she was seriously dealing with the idea that she was about to be cut in half.

“Now, children, I ask that you don’t try this at home. Are you ready, Sunset?”

“No, and I think you’re out of your mind!”

Artemis shrugged. “I’ve been told worse. _Lulamoon!”_

With that, he brought the saw down, cutting into the indent that marked the separation of the two halves of the box. Sunset closed her eyes, waiting for the teeth of the blade to begin cutting into her.

_I hope you’re happy, Elements! I’m going to die and it’s completely your fault!_

After a few minutes, Sunset opened an eye, wondering why she wasn’t feeling excruciating pain yet. Artemis was staring down at her with a bemused expression.

“I was wondering how long you’d stay like that.” He put one hand on each side of the box and shouted, “ _Lulamoon!”_ With a push, he separated the two halves, leaving Sunset with the oddest tingling sensation she had ever felt.

“What the heck…” She wiggled her foot and could see it moving from the other box. “This… is freaky.”

The audience erupted into applause, and Artemis began to bow theatrically. “Thank you, thank you, twas an easy feat.”

“Hey, do you mind sticking me back together now?”

Artemis chuckled. “But of course, if you say the magic words.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and grumbled something.

“Sorry, couldn’t quite hear you, dear.”

“Lulamoon,” Sunset said just loud enough to be heard. She heard the boxes snap back together, and the tingling sensation around her middle vanished. She got out of the box and felt around her stomach for any scars.

“I don’t get it,” she said in amazement. “How did you do that?”

“Silly, Sunny, a magician never reveals his secrets.

Sunset crossed her arms. “That’s just something amateurs say when the answer is really obvious but well hidden.”

“Amateur you say?” Artemis clapped his hands and was quickly enveloped in purple smoke. When it dissipated, in his place was a rabbit chewing on a carrot. “I just turned myself into a rabbit.” The rabbit’s mouth moved in perfect synch with the words Sunset heard, but she refused to believe it was actually the rabbit saying them. “Can _you_ turn into a rabbit? I didn’t think so.”

“No, but I could turn into a demon and eat you in one bite.”

There was a pause, then the rabbit burst into laughter. It looked up at her and said, “I like you, kid, you got jokes.” There was another puff of smoke, and the human Artemis returned with a bow.

“Please give my lovely assistant a hand.” He gestured to Sunset, his own hands having popped out from his sleeves and began clapping on their own. The audience gave a loud round of applause, though none of them outdid Pinkie and her wild cheers. Sunset felt heat rising to her cheeks and tried to hide her blushing with more scowling.

Artemis patted her head and spoke into her ear, “You know, you should really try smiling more often. I’ve found you get a lot further in life when you smile.”

Sunset snorted. _At least he didn’t say please._ “Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Good. Well, ladies and gents, that’s all for today! Come back tomorrow to see more mind-boggling tricks! With that, I bid you adieu!” In one last cloud of smoke, Artemis vanished, leaving behind a firecracker that shot into the air and exploded in a shower of light.

As soon as Sunset stepped off the stage, Pinkie rushed over to her. “Wow, Sunset, that was so cool! You make a really good assistant! How did it feel to be sawed in half?”

“Weird.” Sunset subconsciously rubbed her stomach. _I hate to admit it, but that was pretty impressive… for show magic._

******

After the show, the girls stopped to get something to eat. Try as she might, Sunset couldn’t find a stand that didn’t sell something that was deep fried or greasy. In the end, she just settled for a hot dog.

Sitting at a small table, Sunset listened to Rarity talk about this year’s fall fashion, while Rainbow and Applejack counted up who had the most prizes. Rainbow had won by a single spider ring.

Applejack groaned and put her face on the table. “Ah hate frills.”

Rarity patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear, I’m going to make you a dress so dazzling, all the boys will be turning their heads when you walk down the hall.”

“Terrific...”

Sunset smirked. She had to admit, she’d love to see that.

They moved along, heading for their last destination: the petting zoo. Fluttershy was now chatting excitedly over all of the cute animals that were on display, listing off facts that only Pinkie seemed to be generally interested in.

The animal pen smelled of old hay and droppings, making Sunset wrinkle her nose. Despite the fact that she had once been a pony, Sunset had never had a huge fondness for animals; at least, not the mindless ones in this world.

Fluttershy, however, had taken to them like a bee to honey. She ran over to the nearest sheep and began stroking its wool, cooing, “Oh, you’re just the softest thing _ever!_ ”

The sheep let out a happy, “Baaa,” in response.

Sunset wandered around, careful not to step on anything that even remotely looked like animal pellets. While she avoided making contact with any of the animals, everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“Hey look, Sunset.” Pinkie pointed to a brown pony. “It’s one of your cousins!”

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” Sunset deadpanned. She felt something grip onto the back of her coat and begin to pull on it. She looked down to see a goat making a meal out of her leather jacket.

“What the—let go! Get your own jacket!” Sunset started tugging, trying to get the goat to release, but it merely grunted and continued chewing. “Shoo, shoo!” She swatted at it.

Fluttershy looked up from the pig she was feeding. “Oh dear. Umm, Sunset, please be careful with him.”

“Let go of my jacket you stupid goat, or I swear I’ll—”

_Shriiiip._

Sunset stumbled backward, falling into the hay that matted the floor while the goat she had been playing tug o’ war with just chewed on the black fabric hanging out of its mouth.

Fluttershy rushed over and held out a hand to Sunset. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?”

No, I am _not_ okay!” Sunset smacked Fluttershy’s hand away and stood up, showing off the large tear in her already ruined jacket. “That stupid goat just ate part of my clothes! How the hell does it chew through leather?”

Fluttershy took a few steps back. “Oh, well, I’m sure he’s very sorry.”

“He’s a mindless animal! And sorry is not going to fix this!” She gave Fluttershy’s shoulder a sharp poke. “You just _had_ to want to come to the petting zoo of all places! This is _your_ fault!”

Rainbow swooped in and shoved Sunset back down into the hay.

“Back off, Shimmer! This isn’t her fault! All you’ve done most of the day is complain! If you really don’t want to be here, then why don’t you do us all a favor and leave!” Rainbow shouted.

“Gladly!” With a familiar jolt running down her back, Sunset got up and stormed away from the weeping Fluttershy, and fuming Rainbow Dash.

“Sunset, wait—” Sunset clapped her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear whatever Pinkie had to say. She had finally been released from her favor; there was no way she was going back.

_I knew this was a stupid idea!_


	6. Step 6: ‘Cause it’s Gonna Make a Sound

Sunset reflected on the beauty of the settling dusk from her spot on the wooden bridge in one of Canterlot’s better known parks. The bridge overlooked a babbling stream that rippled with the last reflections of sunlight. She always loved the time of day that was her namesake.

She put her hands up on the wooden railing and rested her head on top of them. Today had been quite the dismal failure. She had been doing pretty well up until the incident at the petting zoo.

_Why am I so hung up about this? I should be glad I have them out of my hair._ She sighed, blowing on a tuft of hair that hung in front of her face. _Of course, I just made it harder on myself to make friends with them. Yeah, that’s a pretty big downside._

Sunset groaned, shoving her hands into her pockets, only to feel something soft smashed into one of them. She pulled out the pink unicorn she had won at the fair and frowned. “Twilight Sparkle.” The unicorn just stared at her with its button eyes.

“You know this is all your fault, right? You get to go home and be a princess, while I’m stuck here practically torturing myself! I’d drown you in the river if I wasn’t dead-set on setting you on fire!”

The unicorn just stared at her.

“I’m talking to a doll. I’ve reached a new low.” She placed it on the railing next to her and continued to stare into the water, watching her distorted reflection. “Why is it that both worlds are so fixated on friendship? All I’ve tried to do is make it through life without having to rely on anyone else. Is that so wrong?”

_You also tried to usurp the throne by brainwashing students and killing a princess._ Sunset slumped against the railing, holding her arms over the side.

_Okay, I can kinda see how I may have taken things a little too far… but I had a good reason…_ Sunset frowned. She _did_ have a good reason, didn’t she? She was sure she did, she just couldn’t recall what it was.

“Boo!”

Sunset let out a small shriek of surprise before she whipped around. “Aghh!” she screamed again.

Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her, covering her mouth to suppress her giggle of amusement. “I’m sorry, I’ve just always wanted to do that.”

Sunset stared at her for a moment before her brain started to function again. She balled her fists and snarled, “What are you doing here?”

“I was just taking my dog, Spike out on a quick walk. Say hello, Spike!”

Looking down, Sunset saw a familiar dog sniffing her boot. Spike looked up at her and gave a few happy barks, wagging his tail all the while.

Sunset brought her hands up to massage her forehead. _They even have the same dog,_ she groaned. _And they both just don’t know when to leave me alone._

Twilight sighed, all of the mirth gone from her face. “Listen, I know that you don’t like me—”

“Gee, what gave you _that_ idea?”

“—Which is why I’m even more confused about why you saved me that night. If you don’t like me then why’d you do it?”

Sunset slumped her shoulders and looked away, refusing to meet Twilight’s determined stare.

“What? You don’t know why you saved me?”

“No, I don’t,” Sunset lied.

Twilight crossed her arms. “Then that makes me think you don’t hate me as much as you let on.”

Sunset turned back to Twilight, a burning fire in her eyes. “No, Twilight. I hate you,” she said in a slow, even voice. “I hate you so much, it hurts sometimes. Just the very thought of you makes my skin crawl. You are like a recurring nightmare that I can’t wake up from no matter how hard I try.”

Twilight took a few steps back, pain written in her eyes. “Why? What did I ever do to you?”

The pressure on Sunset’s throat returned. “It’s not what _you_ did; it’s what the other Twilight Sparkle did!”

Twilight stomped her foot, startling Spike into barking at the two girls raising their voices. “There you go again with that ‘other Twilight Sparkle’ thing! What on Earth are you talking about? There isn’t another me!”

“Yes, there is! There is another you who lives in another world and she ruined my life!”

“Pfft.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “You don’t seriously expect me to believe that do you?”

“No actually, I don’t.”

“Then why are you telling me this instead of the truth?”

“Because it _is_ the truth!” Sunset looked down at Spike who was still barking. “Shut up already!”

Spike folded his ears and ran to hide behind Twilight’s leg. Twilight scowled at Sunset and pointed with a finger.

“First of all, don’t yell at my dog. And second, are you crazy? You think there’s some alternate world with another me?”

Sunset brushed Twilight’s hand away. “No, I’m not crazy. And I don’t _think_ there’s another world, I _know_ there is another one.” Sunset turned and walked halfway down the bridge before stopping. _I think I know how I can finally get rid of her._

She turned around. “Twilight, do you really want to know the truth? Because it’s going to destroy every fundamental thing you believe in. I could destroy your view of the world right now. Do you really want that?”

Twilight opened her mouth, then hesitated, biting her lip. She was silent for a moment, eyes darting around the park as she thought. “What could you possibly know that could reshape my world view?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Sunset walked up to her and looked her straight in the eye. “Magic exists, Twilight Sparkle. And not the Las Vegas, smoke and mirrors kind. _Actual_ magic. With spells and potions and… curses. And there is a parallel world out there that can easily harness magic and do things that you can only _dream_ of.”

Twilight took a step back, her mouth open in disbelief. She stared, mesmerized by Sunset’s intense eyes. “You’re… you’re lying…” Sunset could hear the doubt in her voice. “You have to be lying, or crazy! Magic doesn’t exist!”

Sunset smirked. “Yes it does, Twilight. It's extremely weak here, to the point of nonexistence. But there’s a world that is connected to this one where it's so powerful, they have cities made of _clouds._ Their ruler can _move the sun_ , Twilight.”

Twilight took another step back, almost tripping over Spike. “I-I don’t… that isn’t… that can’t be…”

Satisfied, Sunset turned to leave. “That’s what I thought. You don’t want to hear the full truth, Twilight. You aren’t ready for it. Go home, forget you met me, and forget what I said. You’ll sleep better at night.” Sunset stalked off the bridge, a content smile on her face. She didn’t bother looking back at Twilight. She knew she would just find her with a hopelessly confused or scared expression.

_There. I don’t think I’ll have to worry about her for a very long time._

******

Rarity sat with her friends back in the café where they had started their day at. They had finally gotten Fluttershy to stop crying and were now trying to enjoy the mugs of hot cocoa they had ordered. Rarity stirred hers with a spoon, breaking up the swirl of whipped cream on top and blending it into the sweet, black drink before taking a careful sip.

_We were making such good progress too. Well… maybe not_ good _progress, but it was a start. If we just got Sunset to actually enjoy herself, we might have broken through to her._

She was jerked out of her thoughts when Rainbow slammed her mug down against the table, having already drained it.

“This is stupid! Why are we wasting our time with her? She clearly doesn’t want to be our friend, so why should we bother trying to be hers?”

Pinkie licked a dollop of whipped cream off her own nose. “Because, Dashie, everybody needs a friend, _especially_ Sunset. If we don’t try to make friends with her, she might go back to being mean to everyone!” Pinkie gasped. “Or even worse! She might turn into a demon again and start throwing fireballs everywhere!”

Rainbow put an arm on the table and rested her head in her hand. “Yeah, I doubt that’s going to happen again.”

“Regardless,” Rarity spoke up, “we made a promise to try and help her, and we should keep it. And while I’m not too keen on the idea of building a friendship off of a promise, I suppose we have to start somewhere.”

“You can’t be serious, Rarity! She practically screamed at Fluttershy and you still want to be friends with her?”

Rarity held up a hand. “I’m not saying she shouldn’t apologize, but we should also consider that she’s practically spent the last three years either alone or bossing someone around. We can’t expect her to change overnight.”

Applejack nodded. “Rarity’s right. Maybe we should try just talkin’ to her first. Get to know her a little more. We might be able to avoid situations like this if we start by doin’ things she likes.”

Rainbow let out a frustrated growl. “Fluttershy, you’re with me on this, right? You can’t seriously want to still be friends with Sunset Shimmer?”

Fluttershy just stared at her cocoa. “Well, um… the goat _did_ eat her jacket…”

Rainbow threw up her arms. “What’s wrong with you guys? Listen, I get you want to keep your promise to Twilight, but this is a lost cause! Sunset isn’t going to change!”

“Now that ain’t fair R.D. Ya can’t just judge her off of today,” Applejack said.

“I’m not. I’m judging her off of everything she’s done since freshmen year!”

Applejack gave her a stern look. “Now listen here, Dash. She apologized for that… more or less. That’s in the past now. We all gotta move on and help her be a better person.”

Rainbow dropped her head against the table. “You guys are hopeless.” She raised it again, glaring at all of them. “Fine, I’ll let it go this time. But I swear if she crosses one more line…” Rainbow brought a fist into her open palm. “I’m going to give her an early graduation present!”

******

Twilight’s alarm went off at the time it always did, and she pressed the snooze button hoping she could get a few more minutes of sleep. Something wet began to tickle her face, and she started to giggle.

“Spike, stop it. Hehehe, Spike! Okay, okay, I’m up!”

She rose from her bed, taking Spike into her arms and scratching him behind the ear. “First day at my new school, buddy,” Twilight said, a hint of longing in her voice. She looked up at her room, everything nice and organized in very specific fashions. Twilight had tried her hardest to replicate her old room as much as she could.

Twilight sighed. She really hadn’t wanted to move, but her father’s promotion at work had required her entire family to have to move for the sake of convenience. She had been happy for her dad; he had really wanted the job. But Twilight had been forced to transfer out of her old private school.

Her parents had thought it was probably for the best. Twilight didn’t have that many friends. Maybe she could make some more at a public school.

Putting Spike down on the floor, Twilight got up and proceeded to get dressed, washing herself off in the bathroom and combing out the knots in her hair.

She put on her nicest blouse and a long purple skirt, wanting to make a good first impression. Looking herself over in the mirror, she said, “Mom is right, I should try and make a few friends this year.” She frowned. But what if everyone avoided her, or was intimidated by her extensive knowledge of… well, pretty much everything? That was what happened last time. For the last three years, she had had only one friend, though they had been like two peas in a pod.

“Well…” Twilight gave herself a determined look. “I’ll make some new friends. That’s what she’d want me to do.” But first, she’d get some answers from Sunset Shimmer.

Twilight grabbed her backpack, rubbing Spike on the head one last time before she headed downstairs. She had spent all of Sunday contemplating what Sunset had said to her. That there was another world… filled with _magic._ And it had something to do with another her. When Twilight had looked into Sunset’s eyes, she had searched for any sign that Sunset was lying; a nervous twitch or something. When she couldn’t find any, Twilight looked for a sign of mental instability.

But Sunset had seemed so sure of what she was saying. Twilight had gone through every medical book she owned to find something that she could use to justify any of Sunset’s mannerism or speech patterns as that of a crazy person.

When she found none, Twilight was left with two beliefs: That Sunset was the best liar in history...

Or she was telling the truth.

Twilight was sure Sunset attended Canterlot High, the school she herself was now enrolled in. There, Twilight planned to confront her one last time, to get the whole truth out of her. She didn’t care if it turned her whole world view upside down. Twilight _needed_ to know.

_Once she tells me everything, I can start logically analyzing it and debunking it. She’s only telling me what she_ thinks _is the truth… I hope._

Breakfast was a lonely affair. Shining Armor was out on another early patrol, and her mother was probably still asleep after another late shift at the hospital. By the time her dad came down, she had already finished her cereal and apple.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Night Light said, kissing Twilight on the forehead. He was dressed in a nice gray suit with a large brown overcoat; his new, standard look as an astronomy professor at Canterlot University. “Big day, huh?”

Twilight shuffled in her seat. “Yeah, guess so.”

Night Light grabbed his keys off the counter. “Well, come on then. Don’t want to be late on your first day.”

Twilight grabbed her backpack off the back of her chair and headed for the car, trying her best to look enthusiastic.

The first few minutes of the car ride had been painfully silent. Twilight tried to keep herself occupied by staring out the window, looking at all of the students walking to school.

Night Light let out a slow breath. “Nervous?” he asked.

Twilight just nodded her head.

“I’ll be honest… I’m nervous too. Especially after what happened last week.”

Twilight gripped her hands tight. That had been the scariest night of her life. She had come home quite dazed from how fast everything had spiraled out of control, and the sudden appearance of her savior, Sunset Shimmer. It had taken a few days, but Twilight finally broke down and told her family everything.

She had never seen Shining so upset.

“Don’t worry, Dad, it's school. I’ll be safe here.” Twilight gave him a reassuring smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. No matter how much she tried to play it off, she was still shaken up.

“I know, I know. School is probably the safest place you could be other than home. I just can’t help but worry…”

“Everything will be just fine, I promise.”

Night Light looked at her from the corner of his eye and smiled. “I know. You’re a tough girl, just like your mom. Just promise me you’ll be careful though.”

“I promise.” she repeated.

“And try to make some friends this year. High school is more fun—and safe—if you have some good friends.”

Twilight huffed. “It’s not like I _didn’t_ have friends before, Dad.”

“Twilight, you had _one_ friend.”

“Still counts.”

The car slowed to a stop in front of Canterlot High, where students were milling around outside, amicably chatting with one another. Twilight could already feel a pleasant atmosphere radiating from the campus.

She unbuckled herself and leaned over to kiss her dad on the cheek. “Have a good day at work.”

“And you have a good day at school.” Night Light kissed her back. “I’ll be here to pick you up as soon as school ends.”

Twilight nodded and hopped out of the car, waving as it pulled away. She turned and looked at the two story building in front of her. Flags and banners proudly bearing the school's emblem decorated the front, while a large, marble statue depicting the school’s mascot stood in the courtyard.

She would have started attending Canterlot High last week, but the school had taken the entire week off due to ‘renovations.’ Twilight had questioned the school’s structural integrity when she heard about this. If a school had to take an unscheduled recess for repairs, it couldn’t be that well maintained.

So she was pleasantly surprised when she entered the building and found everything gleaming like it was brand new.

“Wow,” she marveled, constantly spinning around to take in everything. She bumped into something and staggered back, almost falling to the floor. “Oops.” She looked up and saw she had crashed into what appeared to be one of the jocks. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Hey, no worries, Twilight.” He smiled and waved before walking off.

Twilight stared after him. _How did he know my name?_

As she started down one of the many halls, she found that a lot of people seemed to already know who she was.

“Hey, Twilight!”

“What’s up, Twilight?”

“Twi, you rock!”

Twilight wanted to say she was flattered, but in all honesty, she was just confused… and a little unnerved as well. She had never been here before, nor did she know anyone here. Yet, they all seemed to know her and treated her like she was their best friend.

_Alright, now I definitely need to find Sunset Shimmer._

The best way to do that, she decided, was to ask someone if she even attended this school in the first place. Twilight would hate to keep searching only to realize that Sunset went to a completely different school.

She walked up to the first girl she saw, who had a massive nest of pink hair, and cheerful disposition Twilight could _feel_ from a yard away. Deciding she was approachable, Twilight tapped her on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, do you know—”

The girl whirled around and had blinked at her before she leaped into the air with a loud gasp and shot off down the hallway screaming, “ _Girrrrrrrrrls!”_

Twilight looked on in open-mouthed confusion. “Well, that was… interesting.”

******

“ _Girrrrrrrrrrls!”_ Pinkie yelled as she tore down the hall, her feet barely touching the ground. “Girls, girls, girls, girls!”

Pinkie wasn’t sure if she should be happy or terrified that the other Twilight Sparkle just walked onto campus. But she did know that everyone else needed to know, and she had to tell them quick!

She spotted Rarity having a conversation with some of the fashionistas and stuck out her arm.

“So then I said to her—woah! Pinkie!” Pinkie’s arm had hooked around Rarity’s and dragged her away from the conversation. “What are you doing?”

“No time! We have a situation… I think… maybe… there’s Applejack!”

Applejack was standing at her locker, trying to get comfortable in the white, frilly dress Rarity had made when she noticed Pinkie speeding towards her. “Hey girls, what’s—oof!”

Pinkie had grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along. “Come on! I need to tell you something! This is big! Like, _super_ big!”

“Rarity, what is she babbling about?”

Rarity could only shrug.

“Quick.” Pinkie pointed with her tongue, both her hands currently occupied. “Grab Fluttershy, Applejack.”

Fluttershy had just walked into view from an adjoining hallway when Applejack grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along for Pinkie’s ride. Fluttershy stumbled and was hauled across the tiled floor for a moment before she found her legs and started to jog in order to keep up.

“What’s going on?” she asked in a panicked voice.

“Sorry, sugarcube, we have no idea.” Applejack answered.

Pinkie led them out the back door to the stadium, where Rainbow was out on the soccer field, bouncing a ball on her head.

“Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine—”

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie yelled as she slammed into her, bringing all five girls to the grass.

The soccer ball fell onto the lawn to next to Rainbow who groaned. “Aw, come on, Pinkie, I was on a roll!”

Pinkie jumped to her feet. “I’m super sorry! But, we have a problem, or actually, it’s more like a situation, or maybe a predicament… hmm, actually it could be called a—”

“Pinkie, get to the point,” Rainbow snapped.

“Twilight is here!” Pinkie said, flailing her arms over her head.

“What?” they all shouted simultaneously.

Rarity paused from her chore of trying to wipe the grass stains off Applejack’s dress. “You mean she came back?”

“No, no, no, no, not _that_ Twilight! _Our_ Twilight, wait, I mean the one from _this_ world; the non-magical one!”

“How do you know, Pinkie?” Applejack asked.

“‘Cause she just came up and talked to me in the hallway!”

“Wow, what are the odds of this world’s Twilight Sparkle coming to Canterlot High right after the other one leaves?” Fluttershy wondered.

Pinkie tapped a finger against her chin. “Pretty high I guess.” She shook her head. “But, don’t you girls see the problem here?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Not really.”

Rarity took her by the shoulders and said in a dramatic voice, “Rainbow, think about it! This is high school, and teenagers _talk._ What do you think is on everyone’s mind right now?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Oh, now I see what you mean.”

Rarity nodded. “If word of what happened at the dance reaches that Twilight’s ears, she’s going to be hopelessly confused. She’ll think everyone around here is crazy, or trying to pull some cruel joke on her!”

“Oh my, it’d be even worse if she ran into Flash Sentry, or Sunset—” Fluttershy looked up with the same horrified expression that everyone else had.

They all broke into a run, charging back into the school at top speed with Pinkie in the lead again.

“Hold up, y'all,” Applejack said in between breaths, trying not to trip in her dress. “Maybe we’re overthinkin’ this. It’s not like Sunset’s gonna hurt the girl, right?”

Rainbow looked over and gave her a pointed stare.

“Ah was tryin’ to be optimistic.”

As they rounded the corner, Pinkie came sliding to stop, the rest of the girls piling up behind her. Down the hall in front of her, Pinkie could see Twilight walking up to Sunset, who was storing her backpack into her locker.

“ _Noooooooooo!”_ Pinkie shouted as Twilight tapped Sunset on the shoulder.

Sunset turned around and stared at Twilight.

Then screamed.


	7. Step 7: Science Fiction

Sunset clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. She stared down at Twilight, taking some satisfaction that her scream had at least startled the girl back some ways. Sunset tried to take a few calming breaths, but she could still feel her heart beating erratically.

She removed her hand and took an aggressive stance. “What the hell are you doing here?” she half shouted, half hissed.

“I go here now,” Twilight said simply.

Sunset’s eye twitched, something she noticed it had been doing a lot more often. _Of course! Of course she would come here of all places! Dear Celestia, what have I done to deserve all of this?_

“And why are you choosing to bug _me_ of all people?” Sunset asked in a low growl.

“Because…” Twilight took a deep breath. “Because I want to know the truth.”

“The truth?” Sunset asked incredulously. “ _Now_ you want to know the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

Twilight looked back at her with a determined expression that Sunset instantly grew to hate. “That’s for me to decide, isn’t it? Everyone in this school seems to already know my name, one of them even called me _princess,_ and I want to know why.”

“Yes, I guess that first part is true,” Sunset mumbled. She looked around at some of the students who were beginning to gather and stare at the two girls who looked like they were about to break out into a fight.

Pointing a finger at Twilight, Sunset said, “Lunch. Cafeteria. Corner table.” She looked over to Pinkie and the four girls looking over her shoulder. “You five. Be there.”

With that, Sunset turned on her heel and stomped away, practically hissing at anyone standing in her path.

“By the way,” Twilight called to her, “you do know there’s a tear in your jacket, right?”

“ _Yes,_ I am _very_ aware there is a tear in my jacket!”

******

The first day back to school was a horribly dull affair for Sunset. Class seemed to drag on forever, and it didn’t help that she couldn’t even hear the teacher, what with all of her classmates whispering to each other about what they remembered from the dance, or what they did on their week off.

Sunset was actually relieved when the lunch bell rang. She was eager to get this over with and finally say good riddance to Twilight Sparkle.

Rarity fell into step next to her, a worried expression on her face. “Sunset, what exactly do you plan on telling Twilight?”

“The truth.”

“Ah, that’s what I thought.” Rarity bit her lip. “Well… while I think honesty is the best policy, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Sunset stopped in front of the cafeteria door. “Do you have something better in mind?”

“Um… no, no not really.”

“Then shut up, and follow along.” Sunset threw the doors and marched inside.

Rarity put her hands on her hips. “Well, no need to be so rude.”

Sunset grabbed a tray of cafeteria food, making a face of disgust. On a normal day, she would just ‘persuade’ someone with a good looking packed lunch to trade with her. Now, she was forced to eat… Looking at the bowl of green mush, Sunset wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what it was.

She sat down at the table in the farthest corner of the room, Rarity taking a seat next to her. Twilight quickly appeared and sat down across from Sunset. Shortly after, Pinkie showed up, scooting in next to Sunset, while Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy all crammed in next to Twilight.

“Err, why exactly are they all here?” Twilight asked.

“Because they’re kinda important… unfortunately,” Sunset added under her breath.

“Hi!” Pinkie reached over the table and took Twilight’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “I’m Pinkie Pie! It’s _soooo_ nice to see you again!”

“Again?” Twilight looked at Sunset, who simply had a bored expression.

“We’ll explain in a second, dear.” Rarity smiled. She shook Twilight’s hand after Pinkie finally let go. “You can call me Rarity.”

“Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow grinned.

Applejack tipped her hat. “Name’s Applejack. And if yer wonderin’, no, Ah don’t normally wear dresses to school.”

“I’m Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly clear voice.

“Hooray, we’re all friends here,” Sunset said in sarcastic tone. She drummed her fingers on the table. “Now, where do I start?”

“The beginning, silly,” Pinkie offered.

Sunset ignored her. “Alright, do you remember what I told you about the other world on Saturday?”

Twilight nodded her head.

“Wait, Saturday?” Rainbow cut in. “When did you meet with her?”

“Sometime after I left you guys at the fair. Now, don’t interrupt me.”

Rainbow fell silent, but only after giving Sunset a cold glare.

“Like I was saying, the other world filled with magic is called Equestria. Its most dominant species are the three most common types of pony—”

“Hold on.” Twilight laughed. “Are you seriously going to tell me there’s a world full of sentient magical horses?”

“Yes. And what did I just say about interrupting me?”

Twilight cleared her throat, suppressing another laugh. “Please, continue.”

“Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted again, there are three main types of ponies in Equestria: Earth ponies, which are like the normal ponies here, only they live longer and have a slightly higher IQ, pegasi, and unicorns. Then, there are alicorns, which are powerful creatures with all three traits.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, your other in that world was an alicorn. She had a crown that had an incredible power source inside of it.” Sunset cast her gaze down to the unappetizing food in front of her. “I wanted it, and all the power that came with it, for myself.

“The statue out front serves as a gateway between our two worlds. Only, it opens once every thirty moons for three days at a time. When it opened up last week, I snuck back and took the crown. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as stealthy as I could have been. There was a scuffle, and the crown ended up in…” She gave Fluttershy a dark look. “Unfortunate hands.”

Fluttershy hid in her hair and ducked down in her seat.

“The crown was then going to be used as the prize for the princess of the Fall Formal. I wasn’t too worried about it then. I thought I was certain to win the title like I did every year.”

Sunset gripped the table hard and clenched her teeth. “And then _she_ followed me back here. She was so determined to get her stupid crown back. She barges in here and just… ruins _everything!_ ”

Rainbow gave a cruel smirk. “You mean by helping the rest of us become friends again, and uniting the entire school to stand up to you and making sure you finally lose?”

Sunset slammed her hands on the table and stood up, Rainbow copying her movements, a challenge in her eye. Both girls stared each other down, while the rest of the cafeteria watched on in silence.

“Yes,” Sunset said in a lethal whisper, “by doing _that_.”

Rarity, very slowly, put a hand on Sunset’s arm and pulled her back down to the bench, while Applejack did the same for Rainbow.

“Please, let’s try not to make a scene here, girls.” Rarity mediated.

Sunset measured the ferocity in Rainbow’s eyes. They gave a stern warning, daring Sunset to try something.

Though it was tempting, Sunset wasn’t in the mood to fight. She finally averted her glare to the back wall and continued her story. “Well, as Rainbow so nicely put it, the other Twilight Sparkle turned the whole school against me. She won the crown, but, I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”

“This is the part where it gets really good,” Pinkie whispered mostly to herself.

“After a few… underhanded tricks, I finally snatched the crown for myself. When I finally put it on, I… I got all the power I wanted, but…” Sunset stopped, unable to find the words to explain what happened next. She had turned into a monster, an experience that still confused, and even frightened her. That had not been part of her plan.

What she felt during her time as a demon, all of the thoughts and emotions running through her at that moment… Sunset realized she wasn’t ready to talk about it. She _couldn’t_ talk about it. Luckily for her, Pinkie interjected.

“So basically, Sunset turned into this really scary monster with bat wings and sharps claws, and then she broke the school and brainwashed all of the students, before saying, ‘Twilight keeps getting in my way, and now, I’m going to destroy her, raawr!’ So she makes this big fireball and throws it at her, but we were Princess Twilight’s friends, ‘cause she helped all of us become friends again when Sunset divided us, and we weren’t going to let Twilight stand by herself! So we all got into a big group hug, which activated some _more_ super cool magic! And we all floated into the sky and shot a super pretty rainbow beam at Sunset, and she turned back to normal! Then we all danced and Twilight went home. The end!”

Sunset pointed to Pinkie. "That… just about sums it up.”

Twilight put her hands together on the table and rested her chin on them. “So, let me see if I’ve got this straight: there’s another Twilight Sparkle who is a magical pony princess in another world, and you stole her crown so you could have magic powers. But, she chased you back to this world and brought the whole school together to vote for her instead of you for princess of a dance, only you took the crown anyway and turned into a monster. But, the other Twilight and these girls stood up to you and fired some magical rainbow that turned you back?”

“Yep,” Sunset nodded.

Twilight was silent for a moment. Then she burst into hysterical laughter, clutching her sides.

“That is the _dumbest_ thing I have ever heard! Hahaha, you had me worried for a second. You looked so serious back on the bridge, I actually believed you! Haha! And the fact that you got all of them to play along—wow, you must be dedicated! Okay, okay I get it, haze the new girl; even I have to admit, that was pretty good.”

Twilight’s laughter came to an end as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked around at the faces staring back at her. Only Pinkie was smiling, as usual. Twilight’s own grin slid from her face. “Okay, I caught on. Why aren’t you girls laughing with me?”

“Because, sugarcube… we ain’t jokin’,” Applejack said.

“But you _have_ to be joking.” Twilight gave a weak laugh. “You don’t really think there’s a world filled with ponies, and that _she_ turned into a demon.” Twilight pointed at Sunset who now wore an impassive face.

Applejack nodded. “Ah do, because Ah was there when it all happened. Ah know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”

“No, it isn’t,” Twilight said, starting to sound angry. “Listen to yourselves, you’re spouting off things that only happen in… in science fiction novels, or children’s books! Interplanetary travel is still a decade away, _at least_ , and you’re telling me that there’s another _dimension_ that connects to this world? You’re all crazy!”

Rarity looked over to Pinkie. “Show her the picture.”

Pinkie reached into her hair and produced a simple photograph, handing it to Twilight.

Twilight took it and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “That… that’s me. But… how? And why do I have wings?”

“Magic,” Sunset said.

“Magic…” Twilight trailed off, then furrowed her eyebrows. “Or Photoshop.”

Sunset couldn’t help but smirk. _She’s really trying not to believe this._ “Pinkie,” Sunset snapped her fingers, “show her the video.”

“Girrrrl, don’t you snap your fingers at me,” Pinkie said, rolling her neck.

Sunset slammed her palm against the table, glaring at her.

“Right, video, on it.” Pinkie ducked under the table and produced a very pink laptop from her bag. She pulled up the slander video Sunset had made of Twilight, and flipped the computer around. “Umm, yeah, it’s kinda bad.”

Twilight leaned in and watched the video play. Sunset could hear her own narration, recalling fondly of her impressive video making skills. She watched Twilight’s frown grow deeper and deeper as the video continued, and she slammed the computer shut when it finished.

“So.” Sunset smiled viciously. “Where’s your science fiction now?”

Twilight put her head in her hands. “There has to be an explanation for this. You guys are just pulling a really drawn out prank, right?” She was almost pleading now.

Sunset growled in frustration. “No, we aren’t. Look, Twilight, you wanted the truth, well here it is!” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I told you, you couldn’t handle it.”

“No, it’s not that! I just… I thought… I was hoping….”

“That I was wrong?”

Twilight picked up her lunch, look very tired. “I need some time alone.” She walked off to the last unoccupied table, slumping into her chair.

“Oh my, she looks pretty distraught,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah…” Sunset nodded. Her face instantly brightened up. “Well, that was fun!”

Rainbow opened her mouth, no doubt to give Sunset a verbal lashing, but Applejack beat her to it.

“Sunset, why do you hate her so much?”

“I don’t hate her.” _I don’t?_ “I hate the other Twilight Sparkle.” _Okay, that makes sense._ “I just… mildly dislike her because they share the same face.”

Rarity poked at her salad. “Well, I think it’s safe to say, we may have scarred her for life.”

They all looked back at Twilight, just in time to see Flash Sentry approach her.

_Oh,_ this _should be good,_ Sunset thought.

Flash looked more confused the longer he talked to Twilight. Eventually, she just shook her head and proceeded to eat her lunch, trying to ignore the world around her. Flash looked dejected for a moment before he turned and walked towards Sunset’s table.

“Alright, can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” It had been a general question, but his eyes were locked on Sunset. “Why is Twilight acting like she doesn’t remember… well, anything?”

“It’s simple,” Sunset smiled, throwing extra venom into her words. “That’s not the Twilight Sparkle you fell in love with.”

Flash’s face turned red. “Well I-I don’t know if I… wait, what do you mean that isn’t the same Twilight Sparkle? She looks just the same.”

“I mean, your little girlfriend came from another world, and now, she’s gone, and you’ll probably never see her again. That one is the version of Twilight Sparkle that actually lives here. I’d tell you more, but you already missed story time, and I don’t feel like repeating myself.

Flash stared at her before turning to the other girls. “Can one of you help me out here?”

Applejack shrugged. “Sorry, Flash, but it’s pretty much like Sunset said. That Twilight Sparkle and the Twilight Sparkle from last week are two different Twilight Sparkles.”

“Alright.” Flash sighed and rubbed his head. “The only reason I’m going to believe that is because what I saw at the dance still defies explanation. So, I guess weirder things have happened.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away, still looking put out, leaving Sunset in an even better mood than before.

_I just destroyed someone’s entire belief in science, and indirectly broke my ex-boyfriend's heart. Today was a good day._

******

Twilight climbed to the top of the stairs and entered her room, exhausted from the long day. It had been a chore lying to her parents about the ‘interesting’ day she had, and meeting all of the ‘colorful’ people at lunch. _Who delivered life altering news!_

She collapsed onto her bed. shutting her eyes, and even ignoring the loving dog kisses Spike tried to give her. She wasn’t sure what bugged her more: the fact that magic existed, or the fact that she was a pony princess in another world who stood up to a demon. She reached for her pillow and let out a muffled yell.

_What am I getting so worked up about? So what if there’s another me who has magic powers… and is a pony… It doesn’t matter! It’s not like we’ll ever meet or anything! This doesn’t change anything at all! Just because magic exists doesn’t disprove science, it just… bends a few rules. So, there are other dimensions. That just proves the multiverse theory! See, Twilight? Nothing to get worked up about._

Twilight lifted her head and finally acknowledged Spike, petting him on the head. His presence seemed to always calm her down when she went into one of her moods. She flipped onto her back, letting Spike curl up on her stomach.

_Okay, so the alternate reality thing does explain some stuff, like how everyone at the school already knows my name. And if the whole story is true, then it explains why the school was closed last week._

Oddly enough, Twilight was starting to find it easy to believe that her other world counterpart was a pony. What she couldn’t believe was…

_Sunset Shimmer… was a monster?_ Sure, she seemed hard on the outside; cold, mean and maybe a little spiteful. But a monster? An actual, winged beast of some sort?

Twilight shook her head. She thought back to the alley, and how Sunset had stood up to those two men. How she had easily dispatched them with a rough, yet seemingly eloquent fighting style. Would a monster do that? Yes, Sunset gave off the impression that she hated Twilight, but there had to be more to it than that.

Sunset Shimmer had saved Twilight’s life.

And Twilight just couldn’t let it go.


End file.
